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By Category: Agents & Toxins

Kuntal Patel charged with attempted murder following counter terrorism raids

(Daily Mail) A suspected plot to kill a magistrate with a rare poison extracted from the seeds of a Peruvian plant has been uncovered by police. Detectives believe Meena Patel, 54, was the target of an unprecedented attack with abrin, a substance described as ‘more poisonous than ricin’. Her daughter Kuntal, 36, is accused of Read More »

February 4, 2014
| Filed under Europe, Agents & Toxins, Biocrimes, and International
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Bacterial Toxin a Potential Trigger for Multiple Sclerosis |

(Global Biodefense) Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have added to the growing body of evidence that multiple sclerosis may be triggered by a toxin produced by common foodborne bacteria, in research presented recently at the 2014 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting.

February 4, 2014
| Filed under Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Microbial warfare: Anthrax assassin

(The Economist) A dead zebra in the open savannah of Namibia’s Etosha National Park would be an off-putting encounter for most people. But for Holly Ganz of the University of California, Davis and an international team of researchers, the striped ungulate’s carcass reeked of opportunity. The zebra met its demise at the hands of Bacillus Read More »

February 4, 2014
| Filed under Agents & Toxins and Research
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Two Georgia men convicted in ricin plot against U.S. government

(Reuters) A federal jury on Friday convicted two alleged members of a Georgia militia group with conspiring to produce a toxic agent to poison government officials. The jury in Gainesville, Georgia, convicted Samuel Crump, 71, and Ray Adams, 57, of conspiring to produce ricin for use as a weapon, according to federal court records.

February 4, 2014
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Bioterrorism
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RFI – Rapid Detection of Infectious Disease Pathogens in Arthropods

(Global Biodefense) The US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) is conducting market research to assess the commercial availability or technical maturity of technologies for rapid detection of infectious disease pathogens in arthropods. The targeted product profile is for Arthropod Vector Pathogen Rapid Detection Devices (AVPRDDs), portable devices that enable service members to detect Read More »