Frist & Tularemia, smallpox, anthrax: all from animal slaughter

[Guest guest]

(Senator Frist, long a promoter of the pharmaceutical industry

and military welfare, stated today that tularemia was

a potential biological weapon. Meanwhile the Taliban claim

that the US is using such weapons in Afghanistan and that

a hospital was bombed in Kabal, killing 100.)

 

 

from the AMA website:

" I know of no other infection of animals communicable

to man that can be acquired from

sources so numerous

and so diverse. In short, one can

but feel that the

status of tularemia, both as a

disease in nature and of

man, is one of potentiality. "

R. R.

Parker1

 

Tularemia, a bacterial zoonosis, is the

subject of this fifth article in a

series providing recommendations for

medical and public health

management following use of various

agents as biological weapons of

terrorism.2-5 The causative agent of

tularemia, Francisella tularensis,

is one of the most infectious

pathogenic bacteria known, requiring

inoculation or inhalation of as few as

10 organisms to cause

disease.6, 7 Humans become incidentally

infected through diverse

environmental exposures and can develop

severe and sometimes fatal

illness but do not transmit infection

to others. The Working Group on

Civilian Biodefense considers F

tularensis to be a dangerous potential

biological weapon because of its

extreme infectivity, ease of

dissemination, and substantial capacity

to cause illness and

death.8-11

 

 

 

 

CONSENSUS METHODS

 

 

 

The working group comprised 25

representatives from academic

medical centers, civilian and military

governmental agencies, and

other public health and emergency

management institutions. This

group followed a specified process in

developing a consensus

statement. MEDLINE databases from

January 1966 to October 2000

were searched using the Medical Subject

Headings Francisella

tularensis, Pasteurella tularensis,

biological weapon, biological

terrorism, bioterrorism, biological

warfare, and biowarfare. Review of

the bibliographies of these references

led to identification of relevant

materials published prior to 1966. In

addition, participants identified

other published and unpublished

references and sources for review.

 

The first draft of the consensus

statement was a synthesis of

information obtained in the formal

evidence-gathering process.

Members of the working group were asked

to make written comments

on this first draft in May 1999.

Subsequent revised drafts were

reviewed and edited until full

consensus of the working group was

achieved.

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