IP: Anthrax misinformation flourishes

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-anthrax-tests1015oct15.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnationworld%2Dheadlines

October 15, 2001, 6:33 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- It takes special testing and time to prove if anthrax or its 
harmless cousins are really in suspicious letters cropping up from Nevada 
to Capitol Hill -- and frustrated anthrax experts say it's no wonder those 
quick checks making headlines are confusing people.

Anthrax is a member of the large Bacillus family of bacteria. So are germs 
that cause mild food poisoning and others that are harmless to people.

Emergency workers checking suspicious letters like the one Senate Majority 
Leader Tom Daschle got Monday can do quick tests to determine if signs of 
the large Bacillus family exist to give reason to worry about anthrax. But 
this rapid first test is very often wrong because it cannot tell if B. 
anthracis, the specific anthrax germ, is the culprit or if less harmful 
Bacillus bugs are present, say biologists

<snip>


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