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DOD inadvertently ships live anthrax to labs
The CDC is investigating what appears to be an accidental shipment of live anthrax from the Defense Department to laboratories in nine states, according to a statement.
“The CDC investigation was started after a request for technical consultation from a private commercial lab,” Jason McDonald, CDC public affairs specialist, wrote in an emailed statement. “The lab was working as part of a DOD effort to develop a new diagnostic test to identify biological threats. Although an inactivated agent was expected, the lab reported they were able to grow live Bacillus anthracis.”
The CDC is working with state and federal partners to determine if other labs also received live samples, McDonald said. He added that CDC or Laboratory Response Network labs will test all samples involved in the investigation, but the CDC does not suspect any risk to the general public.
“The ongoing investigation includes determining if the labs also received other live samples, epidemiologic consultation, worker safety review, laboratory analysis and handling of laboratory waste,” McDonald wrote.
A similar incident involving the pathogen occurred in Atlanta in June 2014 when approximately 75 CDC workers were exposed to live B. anthracis after inadequate inactivation procedures. Since then, the CDC issued a moratorium on the transfer of biological materials, inside or outside the agency, from biosafety level 3 or 4 laboratory facilities.
Perspective
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What is not mentioned is that the spores were shipped by FedEx. A package leak or rupture could have resulted in a public health disaster. Anthrax spores, especially in the high concentrations reported, can serve as a deadly bioweapon and persist in the environment for many years. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why tests for viability are not made after irradiation (used in this case for inactivation) to determine true kill prior to shipping. In addition, why wasn’t a less virulent strain such as the Sterne vaccine or another vaccine strain used? This would at least decrease the harm done if there were an accident.