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Article: Anthrax
- Article from:
- World of Forensic Science
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Anthrax
Forensic science
can involve the investigation of an outbreak of illness or the death of an individual that is caused by a microorganism. Some microbes are especially toxic, and so are of forensic concern. A good example is anthrax.
While anthrax is an ancient bacterial disease, the disease again sprang to prominence following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In the months following these attacks, letters containing a powdered form of
Bacillus anthracis
, the bacteria that causes anthrax, were mailed to representatives of the U.S. government and the media, among others. Five ...