Anthrax Incident in Oakland,CA

At least 6 researchers at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Center (nb: located over a mile away from the hospital proper) were potentially exposed to Anthrax,after a supplier's order of "killed" Anthrax bacteria turned out to be very much alive !

The researchers were working on a grant-funded research project whose goal was to develop a safe and effective antidote,suitable for children.They had completed one part of their research,which involved injecting test mice with killed Anthrax,and had ordered a second batch from the same supplier:specifying that the bacteria were to be killed by heat this time.

The supplier : Southern Research Center in Frederick,Md,complied,and the researchers received their test material about 3 months ago-together with a certification the contents in suspension were inert. Southern Research Center is well-regarded for its quality control,and the researchers saw no need to verify the supplier's statement-although such verification is considered a part of research protocol.

Fortunately,some lab safety protocols were in place. The bacterial suspension was in small glass containers with sealed safety lids.Contents were accessed via syringe,with the material being injected directly into a test animal.

Unfortunately,the test mice began dying. This led to an investigation,which led to the discovery the mice had been injected with live Anthrax cultures.

None of the researchers have shown signs of infection,and officials doubt they were actually exposed;nonetheless,all have been placed on a precautionary regimen of antibiotics.

It goes without saying,a fairly massive investigation by local,state,and federal officials-including the Dept.of Homeland Security-is underway : at the research premises,and at the supplier's premises.There is no present suggestion of bioterrorism,and the most likely culprit is apt to be human error.

According to the links below it wasn't just any old anthrax - it was the Ames strain. This should come as no surprise - Ames was the gold standard for vaccine testing and was freely passed around without oversight before 1997. Thus it's garbage for the FBI to claim that they have only a very limited number of sources they are looking at.

Of course, since the 2001 anthrax was weaponized with exotic chemicals this narrows down the source to a few bioweapons labs in the US, Russia and perhaps other foreign countries. But since the FBI don't appear to be serious about solving these murders that is of little interest to them.

http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~1865~2209024,00.html
The Bacillus anthracis that killed the mice at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute was the Ames strain, the same type of anthrax bacteria used in the October-November 2001 letter attacks. Those attacks killed five people and spurred almost $10 billion in spending on new biodefense labs and research nationwide.

http://www.warandpiece.com/
Update on anthrax: Am informed by Richard Ebright, a scientist at Rutgers, that what was involved in Southern Research Institute apparently accidentally sending live anthrax to the Oakland Children's Hospital Research institute indicates that SRI is in possession of "not just B. anthracis...[but] B. anthracis *Ames.*" In other words, the same strain used in the 2001 anthrax letter attacks, FYI.

Am informed by my colleague Scott Shane at the Baltimore Sun that David Franz, the former USAMRIID commander who had headed SRI's bio/chem program out of Frederick Maryland, has moved to a different outfit. He moved to someplace called the Midwest Research Institute in November 2003.

Am additionally informed by Ebright that Patricia Fellows now manages SRI's biosafety level 3 facility in Frederick now. And that previously, Fellows worked with Ames at USAMRIID from 2000-2003. Worked with Ames at SRI from 2003 to present.

Post Script: The BaltSun's Scott Shane, who has consistently led the pack on covering the anthrax story, has a good piece on what happened.

The significance form me of this atx story is as a counter of those early stories that the ATX could "only" have come from Detrick, or LSU or 14 other "American" labs, and was totally secure, blah blah. This stuff is traded around, including the " Ames" strain.

Some said because of the deadliness of the Ames strain it would be the most secure. I think the opposite is likely true. Ames, reputedly, is the most deadly strain of numerous strains, which might account for weaponeers all over the world want it rather than there local strains. In turn, all researchers would want it for vaccines and such because it is the most deadly.

Sounds like those stories that only "deactivated" germs went out from x or y govt. lab aren't true either...

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