First Step Towards Detecting Exposure To Biowarfare Agents

BALTIMORE – March 11, 2003 – Army researchers are laying the groundwork for what one day could be a test to identify individuals who have been exposed to biological agents. They present their findings today at the American Society for Microbiology's Biodefense Research Meeting.

"Recent events have demonstrated that assessing exposure to a biological threat agent well in advance of onset of illness or at various stages post-exposure would be an important capability to have among the diagnostic options," says Marti Jett of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the scientist directing the study.

After exposure to a biological agent an individual's cells begin to react almost immediately. This reaction is characterized by a unique combination of genes activated or expressed in response to the organism. Jett and colleagues from Walter Reed and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have identified the unique gene expression patterns from human cells induced in response to 8 different biothreat agents.

Are you feeling more secure now? bwahahahahahahahahahaha
I thought the first sign of biological attack was shitting your pants, peeling skin, tremors and luckily, loss of conciousness. The article, found in Science Daily explains that the test takes a "few" hours". Can ya imagine writhing until the lab results come back?

Ok..I just browsed the CDC's protocols for diagnosing biological agents in case of terrorist attack. Botulism was in their list of possible bioagents. Hmmm Does that mean all these Docs injecting faded beauties (aka Kathryn Harris) are terrorists? I think so. I mean what if there is a Middle Eastern Doctor who can purchase this weapon and attach it to a model rocket? Ya know that 1..(only one) gram of botulism can kill 1.5 million people if sprayed as an aerosol. I see a huge security breach here.