US researchers exposed to live anthrax

Failure to adhere to proper procedure means as many as 75 scientists in America may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on 19th June that researchers at the agency’s Atlanta campus failed to follow proper procedures to inactivate the bacteria before transferring samples, which may have contained live bacteria, to lower-security CDC labs not equipped to handle such items. It likely researchers in these lab were not wearing masks, which would have prevented inhalation of the spores. Once in the lungs, the spores germinate before actually causing disease, a process that can take one to six days. Once they germinate, they release toxins that can cause internal bleeding, swelling and tissue death. Seven researchers may have come into direct contact with the live anthrax but any employee who may have walked into any of the labs at risk are being offered a 60-day course of treatment with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin as well as an injection with an anthrax vaccine to prevent infection. It is not clear if the exposure was accidental or intentional, but all employees carrying out procedures to inactivate the bacteria were working in a bio-security lab and were "tier one select agent approved", meaning they had undergone a security reliability review and deemed to be "stable, trustworthy individuals", said Dr Paul Meechan, director of the environmental health and safety compliance office at the CDC. An internal investigation is underway to discover how the exposure occurred. "This should not have happened,"Meechan said. For those exposed, he said, "We're taking care of it. We will not let our people be at risk." More information Anthrax is a potentially deadly infectious disease caused by exposure to the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The bacteria most commonly affect hoofed animals such as goats, but people who come in contact with the spores can also become infected. Infection can occur through a cut in the skin, breathing in anthrax spores or eating tainted meat. The normal incubation period for live anthrax is five to seven days, although there are documented cases of the illness occurring some 60 days after exposure. Inhalation anthrax occurs in two stages. In the first stage, symptoms resemble a cold or the flu. In the second stage, anthrax causes fever, severe shortness of breath and shock. About 90 percent of people with second stage inhalation anthrax die, even after antibiotic treatment.