Law enforcement agents should be able to test the toxin found in the letters to determine its potency and purity, as well as learn what chemicals may have been used to extract it from widely available castor beans, said Murray Cohen, the founder of the Atlanta-based Frontline Foundation, which trains workers on preparedness and response to bioterrorism and epidemics.
It is important that we build into all the training programmes of doctors and other health professionals the first signs of any of the major bioterrorism diseases, and we will keep refreshing that training to make sure it stays up in their minds as a potential diagnosis should they see it.
U.S. equity markets closed mostly lower Thursday as national safety issues surrounding bioterrorism concerns and weak corporate results put pressure on blue-chip stock investors.
"Given the economic climate, everyone is trying to get in line at the trough, " says Charles Cantor , a bioterrorism expert and chief scientific officer at San Diego biotech firm Sequenom (nasdaq: SQNM - news - people ).
These problems will directly affect the ability of researchers to fight bioterrorism, and they were outlined clearly by Gail Cassell , a noted microbiologist and vice president of scientific affairs for Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people ), when she testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce last July.
After Hatfill was designated a "person of interest, " he lost his job at Louisiana State University, where he was helping train first-responders to handle a bioterrorism attack, and had his apartment searched three times.
They zeroed in on Mr. Preston because of his science writing background, which included nonfiction books about astronomy, steel and viruses, as well as a novel about bioterrorism.
In this broader context, Cassell argues, the victims of bioterrorism provide an "indistinguishable" challenge to doctors and administrators working in public health.
In order to confront the bioterrorism threat, Daschle said the nation's supply of antibiotics and vaccines should be increased and the government response to possible attacks should be better coordinated.
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