BTW, the Cub Scout float won 3rd place in the parade!!!
Oh brother ... you're just fishing with a rather broad net on this one.With all the "it's possibles" and the "it may haves" you finally seem to have succeeded in crafting a believable 'story' concludes (without explicitly stating so) that "it was Anthrax".
Anthrax was discovered over 100 years ago by a country doctor with rather crude tools - esp. by today's standards.
I rather highly doubt that the M.E. missed Anthrax in the blood OR the effect that disease finally has on the human body in it's quest to dominate the immune system.
But, I know you have targetted circulation numbers to meet (and website counter goals to exceed) so, fish away ...