Anthrax ruled out in tainted mail

By M. Dinesh Varma

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 30. The panic over the possible circulation of anthrax-tainted postal articles appears to be imaginary, with microbiological probes for all the 13 suspected cases of tainted mail ruling out the presence of the bacterium "Bacillus anthracis".

Sources at the Microbiology Department of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College told The Hindu that the mail referred to the unit from Thiruvananthapuram for anthrax tests, including a new case tested on Tuesday, turned out to be either an over-reaction or the handiwork of pranksters.

The tests on suspicious-looking materials in envelopes revealed that the white powder-like substances which were subjected to anthrax checks ranged from talcum powder and dried rice grains to milk powder, they added.

According to sources, not a single case of deliberate exposure to anthrax had been established in the country to date as any instance of mail testing positive for the bacterium had to be reported to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in New Delhi.

The suspicious-looking materials which underwent bacteriological tests at the lab included the mysterious mail addressed to the Chief Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony, and originating from the United Arab Emirates. The anonymous letter set off a scare at the General Post Office after staff noticed leakage of white powder from a puncture on the envelope.

What is now posing concern is the dearth of facilities in the State to undertake anthrax tests on a larger scale, should the panic situation spin out of control. There are only three Medical Colleges in the State which are equipped with these glass-encased cabins, which are mandatory for testing for air-borne bacteria such as tuberculosis and anthrax besides working on viral cultures.

Sources point out that even the unit at the Medical College here would have been totally unprepared to undertake anthrax tests had it not been for the installation of the Biological Safety Cabin in connection with drug sensitivity tests for an ICMR-funded project on Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis.

It is pointed out that anthrax bacteria, which derives from the Greek word for coal, can grow in any environment by forming spores. In its most common natural infective (cutaneous) state it forms dark sores on the skin. Gastrointestinal anthrax and pulmonary anthrax, the rarest but the most severe form of human anthrax, are the other types of anthrax.

This is the first time that anthrax tests are being undertaken in any Medical College in Kerala. In the absence of history of deliberate exposure to anthrax, which is a contemporary weapon for biological terrorism, microbiologists are turning to the textbooks for standard guidelines to detect the bacteria.

The standard procedure is to adopt self-protective gear which includes masks, gloves and laboratory gown before opening the envelope inside the glass-encased biological safety cabin. Then begins the procedure to isolate the bacteria from the culture media by allowing the suspected material to incubate and grow in a temperature of 37 degrees C. The spores are incubated in liquid and solid media for a minimum duration of 72 hours.

Sources point out that the serious dearth of equipment and staff at the microbiological department here could create delays in conducting anthrax tests on an emergency basis without disrupting the routine work. The department's normal workload each day includes testing on over 200 cases referred from the Medical College and SAT Hospitals. This is besides the cases referred from Public Health Centres.

And, ever since the anthrax scare hit the city, the department had to secure the services of the lab technician as the post of media maker, among several others, has been lying vacant for some time.

Meanwhile, the Postal Department is maintaining vigil on dubious mail. However, the Chief Post-Master General, Ms. Vimala Kumar, ruled out the need for aggressive measures such as distribution of self-protective gear for sorting staff. Overseas mail routed to the Department's Foreign Mail Office in Kochi was already being screened at Chennai or other regional centres in the country.

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Section  : Southern States
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