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By Category: Agents & Toxins

Anthrax Scare: Big Response, Wrong Powder

(The Patch) On Oct. 12 at 11:46 a.m., Tarrytown police responded to their first Anthrax scare in years, said Lieutenant William Herguth. A call came in from County Fire Control reporting that an Independence Street resident had contacted the Health Department stating she believed her bottle of Aspirin contained Anthrax. Officers responded along with Greenburgh  Read More »

Amoebae: Bacteria’s best friends?

(Cavalier Daily) A recent University study shows that anthrax, when aided by a specific type of amoeba, can thrive and multiply in soil — a trick that could prove deadly for livestock and other mammals. Bacillus anthracis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, produces spores — small, dormant cells — that reanimate  Read More »

Biodiversity meeting calls for more science-based information

(SciDev) An international meeting on biodiversity has called for more science-based information, the closure of knowledge gaps, and increased precaution, in the emerging fields of synthetic biology and geoengineering (climate engineering). Two decisions related to these areas, among a set of 34 decisions adopted at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention  Read More »

Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Uganda

(WHO) As of 21 October 2012, nine (9) probable and confirmed cases, including 5 deaths have been reported with Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale district in South-western Uganda. Of these, 3 have been laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI). An investigation into the outbreak is ongoing. Preliminary investigations indicate that  Read More »

To lurk in soil, anthrax spawn in amoeba

(Futurity) Until now, experts have widely believed that anthrax spores remain dormant in soil until eaten by cattle, then germinate and cause the deadly disease. But researchers have found that the spores can attack, and reproduce in, a common soil and water amoeba, Acanthamoeba castellanii. “These amoeba normally eat bacteria and kill them, but Bacillus  Read More »

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