A
American Media, Inc. (AMI), 26, 56–57, 60, 62, 65, 67, 76
American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Bio Defense Meeting Presentations, 178
Amerithrax investigations, 25–26
analytical techniques used on evidentiary material, 57, 58–59t
collection and analysis of clinical and environmental samples and cross contamination, 60, 176–77
clinical and epidemiological samples, 60–62, 64
crime scene environmental samples, 64–66
letter material and cross contamination, 67–70
samples from overseas site identified by intelligence, 66–67
federal coordinated response and assignment of laboratory work, 55–57
See also specific topics
Ames Ancestor sequence, 103
Ames strain B. anthracis, 6–7, 31, 32, 44, 103, 129, 169
Ames strain DNA, 8
Ames strain identification, FBI documents regarding, 162–63
Ames strain samples, subpoena protocol for collection and submission of, 126–30, 132, 144–47
amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), 98
anthrax mailings, 40–41
size and granularity of material in letters, 79–80
trajectory and outcomes of, 61–62, 62f
anthrax mailings case
background, 25–26
timeline of key events, 28–30t
timeline of scientific events in, 48–52t
anthrax program, 66
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), 56, 57, 66, 79, 81–84, 95
B
Bacillus sp.
B. anthracis, 1, 37, 44–45, 97
as biological weapon, 40–41
chemical and physical properties, 177
clinical aspects, 38–40
early history of Ames strain of, 44
identification of B. anthracis strain, 97–100
isolates (see morphotype isolates)
modes of transmission, 39
phylogeny, 41–44
worldwide distribution of lineages of, 43, 43f
B. subtilis, 84, 96, 121–22, 169–70
contamination of New York samples with, 65, 104–6
genetic diversity and phylogenetic characterization of, 171
in New York Post letter, 96, 105, 121–22
whole genome assembly of B. subtilis isolate, 170–71
B. subtilis screening, 171–72
bacterial growth conditions and processing methods, features of, 87–89
bioterrorism investigations, 53, 54
Blanco, Ernesto, 26
Brokaw, Tom, 26
C
carbon-14 (14C) dating, 165–66. See also radiocarbon dating
Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS), 90
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 126
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Sciences Unit/ Chemical Biological Science Unit (CBSU), 71
chemical analysis
committee findings, 93–96
See also specific topics
Chemistry Unit, FBI Laboratory, 165
Committee on Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis Mailings
biographical information on, 193–204
charge to, 27
committee process, 33–35
findings, 4–23t, 70–74, 121–23
formation, xi
See also specific topics
cross contamination. See under Amerithrax investigations
D
Daschle, Tom, letter received by, 26, 28t, 30–31, 58–59t, 68, 79–80, 82, 87, 113–22. See also specific topics
“deep sequencing,” 101, 150
Defence Research Establishment Suffield (DRES), 69
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Amerithrax Investigative Summary, 93, 147
scientific conclusions, 11–23t, 32–33
diatrizoate, 38
dilution experiments, 188–89
Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), 78, 95–96, 168–69
E
edema factor (EF), 39
Ekaterinburg. See Sverdlovsk outbreak
envelope measurements, 92–93
enzymes produced by B. anthracis
F
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), 9
documents provided by, 161–79
declassified reports, 177
scientific conclusions and committee findings, 4–23t, 32–33
scientific investigations, 31–32 (see also Amerithrax investigations)
See also specific topics
FBI hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams, 64, 68
FBI Repository (FBIR), 32
creation of, 126–30
FBI Repository (FBIR) samples
comparison of material in letters with, 125–26
analyses based on resampling RMR-1029 and interpretation of results, 140–44
committee findings, 144–51
See also specific topics
statistical interpretation of the evidence and analyses of, 132–34
G
genetic engineering, 100, 102–4, 163
genetic markers in New York Post letter (powder), 115t, 116–22, 148–49
genome assembly of B. subtilis isolate, 170–71
genome sequencing, 101, 163–64
of morphotype isolates, 114–19
See also Institute of Genomic Research
development and application of assays for, 119–21
genetic assays to test for the four, 130
mutation, in FBIR samples, 133–34, 133t, 134t
observed and expected distribution of positive signatures for the four, 137, 138t
in RMR-1029, 125, 130–32, 138, 139t, 140–42, 145–48
H
hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams, 64, 68 heme, 89, 167
I
inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), 81–83, 94
inhalational anthrax, 26, 28–29t, 30, 31, 39, 40, 44–45, 60–62, 64, 97
Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR), 32, 102–5, 115, 117–20
Institute of Infectious Diseases. See U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
J
Justice Department, U.S. See Department of Justice
K
Keim, Paul, 99–100
L
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), 79, 86, 90
Leahy, Patrick, letter received by, 30, 68, 69, 76–80, 88–92, 96, 109, 113–22
powder on, 63f
silicon content, 82–84, 85f, 87, 94, 95
lethal factor (LF), 39
letter material, silicon and other elements in, 80
elemental analysis, 81–84
letter powder
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 100
M
mass spectrometry (MS), 88–90
media component analysis, 89
meglumine, 38
morphological variants in evidentiary material, identification and characterization of committee findings, 121–23
development and application of assays for genotypes, 119–21
selection criteria for genetic variations used in screening, 113–14
See also morphotypes
morphotype isolates, whole genome sequencing of, 114–19
morphotypes, 5–6
background information on, 107–9
defined, 106
detection and characterization of, 109–13
phenotypic characteristics, 113, 113t
genetic characterization of, 116, 116t
reasons FBI was interested in, 106–7
multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA), 98, 99
N
nano time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (nano-SIMS), 86
National Academies, xii–xiii, 35
National Academy of Sciences (NAS), xi, 56
National Research Council (NRC), xi, 1, 26
New York City letters, 26, 60–62. See also American Media, Inc.
New York Post letter (powder), 62, 63f, 64, 68, 85f, 94–95
B. subtilis in, 96, 105, 121–22
genetic markers in, 115t, 116–22, 148–49
SEM-EDX analysis of, 83–85, 94–96
P
plasmids, 39
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, 102
polymorphism(s)
amplified fragment length, 98
single nucleotide, 115–18
postal workers, 61
protective antigen (PA), 39
R
radiocarbon dating, 181–82
of B. anthracis samples, 90
of letter received by Patrick Leahy, 95–96
See also carbon-14 (14C) dating
RMR-1029 (spore-containing flask), 32, 74, 77, 85, 88, 96, 149, 150
analyses based on resampling, 140–44
genotypes in, 125, 130–32, 138, 139t, 140–42, 145–48
results obtained by resampling from, 142, 143t
RMR-1029 spores, derivation of, 130–32
RMR-1030 (spore-containing flask), 85n
S
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), 83, 84, 164–65
scanning electron microscope. See SEM
science
FBI’s uses of, 35–36
qualifiers of certainty in biological sciences, 53, 55
and scientific investigation, as part of law enforcement investigation, 47, 53–55
“Select Agents” program, 126
SEM (scanning electron microscope), 79, 81,
SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray) analysis, 79, 81–86
of Leahy powder, 85f
of New York Post letter, 83–85, 94–96
silicon analysis, 7–8, 12t, 84–87, 94–96. See also under letter material
silicon measurements in evidentiary and surrogate samples, 82, 82t
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 115–18
Soviet Union. See Sverdlovsk outbreak
spatially resolved elemental analysis, 83–84
spo0A gene, 108–9
spo0F gene, 117
spore preparation
estimates of media volume required for, 77, 77t
and purification, 75–78
time needed for, 8
spores
derivation of RMR-1029, 130–32
estimated ranges of total number of, 76, 76t
resilience, 37–38
stable isotope analysis, 90–93, 166–67
forensics potential, 183–84
Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research (SIRFER), 90–93
Statistical Analysis Report (FBI), 135–36
committee assessment of, 185–91
representativeness, randomness, and independence, 136–40, 185–86
subpoena protocol for collection and submission of Ames strain samples, 126–30, 132, 144–47
surrogate preparation and purification, 78–79
Sverdlovsk outbreak, 41
T
Technical Review Panels, 56