Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters (2011) / Chapter Skim
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2 Biology and History of Bacillus anthracis
2 Biology and History of Bacillus anthracis
Pages 37-46
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From page 37... ...
anthracis are highly resistant to a variety of commonly lethal treatments, including dehydration, elevated temperature, UV irradiation, numerous toxic chemicals, and enzymatic digestion by proteases and lysozymes (Setlow, 2006)
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From page 38... ...
. The membrane and cortex have not been cited as significant sites of mineral association nor found to play roles in direct spore interactions with external surfaces.
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From page 39... ...
anthracis spores, causing a highly fatal disease. Inhalational anthrax is generally rare and is observed mainly in individuals who work with animal skins.
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From page 40... ...
anthracis spores are premier agents for biological warfare and bioterrorism because they can be produced in prodigious quantities in a form that is readily aerosolized and inhaled. These factors, plus the high mortality associated with inhalational anthrax, make B
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From page 41... ...
. Over 30,000 people were given prophylactic antibiotic treatment and six buildings required decontamination, all at a cost of over $1 billion (CDC, 2001a)
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From page 42... ...
As discussed in detail in Chapters 5 and 6, the presence of new mutations among the spores in the attack letters provided an important lead in the anthrax letters investigation. Modern scientific tools now afford an understanding at the molecular level of the similarities and differences among members of the genus Bacillus.
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From page 43... ...
anthracis are the most widely distributed, while there are more restricted distributions of "B" and "C" lineage isolates; for example, the B lineage is found mainly in South Africa and portions of Europe. There are also distinctive genotypes in the Western Hemisphere, with particular North and South American genotype subgroups that are rarely observed outside these regions.
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From page 44... ...
However, the Ames strain has been widely distributed as a laboratory strain. This fact, coupled with its rarity in nature, "makes it unlikely that the source material utilized in the 2001 bioterrorist attack was acquired directly from nature" (Van Ert et al., 2007)
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From page 45... ...
Inhalational anthrax is generally rare and is mainly observed in individuals who work with animal skins. Inhalational anthrax in individuals not likely to have suffered occupational exposure, however, can be a sign of a biological attack with B
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