Namibia: Slow Start to Disposing of Hippo Carcasses
[Namibian] THE ministry of environment appears to be overwhelmed by the large number of hippos that died of suspected anthrax in the Bwabwata National Park. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - October 12, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Namibia:Slow Start to Disposing of Hippo Carcasses
[Namibian] THE ministry of environment appears to be overwhelmed by the large number of hippos that died of suspected anthrax in the Bwabwata National Park. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - October 12, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Botswana finds anthrax outbreak after spate of hippo deaths
GABORONE (Reuters) - Anthrax has been detected in dead hippos floating in the Okavango River, officials in Botswana said on Wednesday, after more than 100 of the animals were suspected to have been killed by the disease in neighboring Namibia. (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - October 11, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: healthNews Source Type: news
Cleaning up subways: Sandia's 20-year mission to stop anthrax in its tracks
(DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) Sandia National Laboratories engineer Mark Tucker has spent much of the past 20 years thinking about incidents involving chemical or biological warfare agents, and the best ways to clean them up. Tucker's current project focuses on cleaning up a subway system after the release of a biological warfare agent such as anthrax. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - September 18, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Molecular map shows how to disable dangerous bioweapon
(Duke University) Duke scientists recently mapped out the complex molecular circuitry that enables Francisella tularensis, the bacterium that causes tularemia, to become virulent. Tularemia is one of the top six bioterrorism agents, alongside anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox and viral hemorrhagic fever. The new map, published in the journal Genes& Development, reveals a unique characteristic of the bacterium that could become the target of future drug development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - September 6, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
NJIT graduate student wins kudos for her research on a potent counterterrorism tool
(New Jersey Institute of Technology) At a meeting held by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to review ongoing research on materials capable of defeating or disabling weapons such as anthrax, Chintersingh-Dinnall won the poster competition for her work in the lab adding iron to boron by a method called ball-milling to accelerate its combustion. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - September 5, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Decontamination of Subway Infrastructure Materials Contaminated with Biological Spores Using Methyl Bromide
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center. 08/2017 This 54-page report provides the results of an assessment to determine the decontamination efficacy of methyl bromide fumigant in inactivating Bacillus anthracis (B.a., the causative agent for anthrax) spores on materials typically found in subway system infrastructure. To facilitate future decontamination employing methyl bromide in a subway environment, this investigation focused on finding efficacious conditions when using methyl bromide at temperatures that may be encountered in an underground s...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 31, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Effectiveness of Disinfecting and Sporicidal Wipes Against Bacillus Atrophaeus, a Bacillus Anthracis Surrogate
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center. 08/2017 This seven-page technical brief summarizes published research that considered the use of disinfecting and sporicidal wipes for decontamination of surfaces following a B. anthracis release. It facilitates in the transfer of information to the end users (incident commanders and remediation personnel). Disinfecting and sporicidal wipes are frequently used in healthcare settings; they are appealing because they are readily available and easy to use. (PDF) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disast...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 25, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Anthrax: Collecting, Preparing, and Shipping Serum Samples to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for Serology Testing
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 01/30/2017 This Web page discusses anthrax testing, and details four steps for Collecting Blood for Serum, Separating the Serum, Packaging the Specimen for Submission to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Labeling the Package for Shipment. An acute serum sample for lethal factor (LF) toxin testing can be collected from 0 to 18 days after suspected exposure or the onset of symptoms. (Text) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health)
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 23, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Subway Railcar Decontamination with Methyl Bromide
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 03/15/2017 This 83-page report describes a study that was designed to evaluate the operational aspects and the efficacy of methyl bromide for decontaminating Bacillus anthracis (Ba), using non ‐pathogenic Ba Sterne strain spores, on a full‐scale subway railcar. The report discusses the study materials and methods, details the results of the fumigation study, and provides conclusions and recommendations based on the study findings. (PDF) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health)
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 15, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Review of Biological Agent Sampling Methods and Application to a Wide-Area Incident Scenario to Characterize Time and Resource Demands
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center. 08/2017 This 70-page report describes a study to evaluate current sampling and analytical capabilities, from a time and resource perspective, for a large-scale biological contamination incident. The study reviewed available facts and information related to historical wide-area biological contamination incidents; and conducted a literature review to assess the current state of knowledge regarding current sampling methods that may be used for characterization sampling following a wide-area biological incident...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 15, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Anthrax cousin wreaks havoc in the rainforest
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - August 3, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Kupferschmidt, K. Tags: Ecology, Epidemiology In Depth Source Type: news
Fogging of Chlorine-Based Sporicidal Liquids for the Inactivation of Bacillus Anthracis Surrogate Spores
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center. 07/2017 This 69-page document reports on an investigation to determine the sporicidal efficacy of a fogging technology using chlorine-based sporicidal liquids for inactivating bacterial spores (Bacillus [B.] atrophaeus, a surrogate for B. anthracis) in an office or indoor environment. The use of fogging technology to disseminate sporicidal solutions via microscopic droplets has the potential to be a less arduous, more economical volumetric decontamination alternative to fumigation. (PDF) (Source: Disaster L...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 2, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Operational Testing of Floor Cleaning Cloths for Household Remediation Following a Large-Scale Biological Contamination Incident
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center. 06/2017 This 45-page study evaluated the Swiffer ® Sweeper® floor mop system as a low-tech method to clean indoor residential floors contaminated with B. anthracis spores, the causative agent of anthrax. Two types of flooring surfaces, vinyl and laminate, were contaminated with B. atrophaeus spores, used as a surrogate for B. anthracis spores. T hree replicate tests were performed on a total of six test combinations consisting of the dry sweeping, wet mopping, and dry sweeping followed by wet mopping of v...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - August 2, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Anthrax: A hidden threat to wildlife in the tropics
(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) Researchers illuminate the epidemiology of a cryptic pathogen. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - August 2, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
