Live anthrax samples were accidentally shipped to laboratories in as many as nine states, the Pentagon reports. A U.S. military base in Utah painstakingly sent the highly dangerous samples to laboratories around the nation.
Anthrax is a serious disease caused by an infection from the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease can be fatal if not treated.
Samples of the bacteria were shipped to the private labs, and to a U.S. military lab at a base in South Korea, in an effort to develop field tests for the presence of the microorganism in the environment. However, the bacteria sent out for study was supposed to be rendered inert before being delivered to the research centers. The sample sent to South Korea has been destroyed, a spokesman said.
Anthrax samples were send from Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to facilities in California, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. On May 22, the laboratory in Maryland recognized that the sample they received contained live bacteria, and they informed the Defense Department. By the following day, all of the other affected laboratories were notified of the error.
"Out of an abundance of caution, (the Defense Department) has stopped the shipment of this material from its labs pending completion of the investigation," Col. Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, said. It is suspected, but not yet confirmed, that anthrax sent to labs in as many as eight other states also contained live spores, he said
The U.S. military is saying there is no immediate concern for worry. There are no reports of confirmed or suspected cases of anthrax infections, and the Pentagon assures Americans there is no danger to the general public. It is unknown whether laboratory workers are being treated for possible exposure to the bacteria.
"There is no known risk to the general public, and there are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infection in potentially exposed lab workers," Warren said.
In June 2014, a laboratory managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a similar error, sending live anthrax to a facility not equipped to handle the microorganism. Several dozen employees there were treated with vaccines and antibiotics, although no one was diagnosed with an infection.
During the spring of 2014, the CDC sent a sample of a supposedly benign version of the avian flu virus to a facility run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, after shipment, CDC officials realized they had accidentally shipped a highly dangerous form of the virus to the agriculture department. This led to a string of criticism from lawmakers on Capitol Hill who called out the agency for a dangerous pattern of safety lapses when handling disease-causing organisms.
Anthrax infections are extremely rare in the United States, although the bacteria can be found naturally in soil. People can become infected by direct contact with the bacteria, or through contaminated animal products made from infected livestock.
