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By Category: Agents & Toxins

Molecular Computer Detects Ebola and Marburg Viruses

(Scientific American) Early detection is key to slowing outbreaks of Ebola, such as the one currently spreading across west Africa that is estimated to have infected almost 1000 people, according to the latest World Health Organization report. A molecular computer could one day simplify analysis of biomedical assays like those used to diagnose Ebola, researchers  Read More »

FDA found more than smallpox vials in storage room

(Washington Post) Federal officials found more than just long-forgotten smallpox samples recently in a storage room on the National Institutes for Health campus in Bethesda, Md. The discovery included 12 boxes and 327 vials holding an array of pathogens, including the virus behind the tropical disease dengue and the bacteria that can cause spotted fever,  Read More »

Shannon Richardson gets 18-year jail term for posting ricin

(BBC News) An actress who posted ricin-laced letters to US President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been given an 18-year prison term. Shannon Richardson, 36, from Texas, had accused her estranged husband Nathaniel of sending the three poisoned letters in an apparent attempt to frame him.

Anthrax Mishandled by U.S. CDC Labs Before Exposure, Report Says

(Bloomberg) Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stored deadly anthrax in unlocked refrigerators in an unrestricted hallway and moved the bacteria in Ziploc bags, according to the latest report to criticize government workers’ handling of microorganisms. The audit, by a team from the Department of Agriculture, was delivered to the CDC  Read More »

Death Toll From Ebola Surges in West Africa, Prompting Alarm

(New York Times) New cases and deaths from the Ebola virus outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, already the worst ever recorded for the disease, have surged by double-digit percentages in the past week, the World Health Organization reported Tuesday, with no sign of a slowdown. Alarmed Ivory Coast  Read More »

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