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A research team backed by a federal grant has created a genetically engineered mousepox virus designed to evade vaccines, highlighting the deadly potential of biotechnology and bioterrorism. The team at St. Louis University, led by Mark Buller, created the superbug to figure out how to defeat it, a key goal of the government's anti-terrorism plan. Researchers designed a two-drug cocktail that promises to defeat their exceptionally deadly virus. They hope to publish their work soon in a peer review journal. "The whole focus was to contribute to the biodefense agenda of the country," Buller said. Buller spliced a gene known...

US develops lethal new viruses 29 October 03http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994318  A scientist funded by the US government has deliberately created an extremely deadly form of mousepox, a relative of the smallpox virus, through genetic engineering.The new virus kills all mice even if they have been given antiviral drugs as well as a vaccine that would normally protect them.The work has not stopped there. The cowpox virus, which infects a range of animals including humans, has been genetically altered in a similar way.The new virus, which is about to be tested on animals, should be lethal only to mice, Mark Buller of the University...

A scientist funded by the US government has deliberately created an extremely deadly form of mousepox, a relative of the smallpox virus, through genetic engineering. The new virus kills all mice even if they have been given antiviral drugs as well as a vaccine that would normally protect them. The work has not stopped there. The cowpox virus, which infects a range of animals including humans, has been genetically altered in a similar way. The new virus, which is about to be tested on animals, should be lethal only to mice, Mark Buller of the University of St Louis told...