For Immediate ReleaseOctober 19, 2001
Contact: Tom Krattenmaker610-328-8534 [email protected]
Swarthmore Microbiologist: Facts About Anthrax Argue for Greater Calm
The current anthrax scare would abate if the public understood the basic science behind the disease and its transmission, according to a Swarthmore College microbiologist.
"While understandable, it's unfortunate that people are over-reacting to this extent," says Amy Cheng Vollmer, an associate professor of biology whose research focuses on bacterial stress response. "Producing and distributing the anthrax bacteria in a way that could cause an extensive number of deaths is difficult and unlikely. The escalation of fear is far more potent than the actual threat of anthrax."
Americans should keep in mind the following scientific facts before they rush out for gas masks and antibiotics, says Vollmer, who is editor of Microbiology Education, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology.
-- Human lungs, especially those of non-smokers and people with normal immune systems, are well equipped to ward off invasions by Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax bacterium. "The body's defenses are unlikely to be breached unless the person inhales a minimum of several thousand spores," Vollmer says.
-- Since infection is likely only with exposure to high concentrations of Bacillus anthracis, introducing the bacteria through ventilation systems or other mass-distribution methods is difficult and unlikely. "Yes, it's a concern, and steps should be taken to safeguard air-handling systems in buildings, but the more the bacteria are diluted, the less likely they are to cause respiratory infection," Vollmer says.
-- When it comes to the skin, infection is improbable unless the bacteria get in through a cut or abrasion. Even then, infection would prove fatal only if the condition were ignored for a significant period and allowed to spread throughout the body. "The rash that is symptomatic would be very difficult to ignore," Vollmer notes.
-- Even in cases of respiratory infection, anthrax hardly means instant death. "If someone is suffering from respiratory distress, there should be plenty of time to get diagnosed and treated," Vollmer says. "And as we've seen these past two weeks, the treatments work." The incubation period -- the time between exposure and symptoms -- is anywhere between one to 15 days.
-- Unless actually diagnosed with anthrax or likely to face exposure to Bacillus anthracis, people should not take antibiotics. Doing so, Vollmer notes, only subjects a patient to needless side effects while increasing resistance to the antibiotic, rendering it less effective should it prove to be needed later.
-- Other putative biological agents, such as smallpox and ebola, are very different from Bacillus anthracis. In contrast to anthrax bacterial spores, smallpox and ebola are viruses and cannot be cultured as easily. And unlike Bacillus anthracis, which can survive in a dormant spore state, viruses tend to lose potency when subject to dry conditions, making them less likely to be spread through the mail.
"The terrorists have managed to make us afraid of tall buildings. They've made us afraid to fly. They've made us afraid to spend money and invest in our businesses," Vollmer said. "We shouldn't let them make us afraid of white powder, too. Now is the time for knowledge and common sense to prevail over fear and panic."
-30-
RSS