HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
TIGR president discusses significance of finding anthrax toxin

"Nature itself is the most capable creator of new biothreat agents," says Dr. Claire M. Fraser, president of The Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR), one of the world's leading genomics research centers. She should know, since she is a senior scientist in the discovery, reported earlier this June, of a newly identified strain of the soil microbe Bacillus cereus containing anthrax toxin genes. The B. cereus bacterium is most commonly associated with food poisoning, although it also has been suspected to be the cause of some cases of fatal respiratory disease.

At the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)/8th International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference (IUBMB) in Boston, Dr. Fraser discusses, for the first time, the significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. She also discusses how this discovery fits into the ongoing debate about how to deal with potential new biothreat agents.

The study, conducted with collaborators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found the anthrax toxin genes in a virulent strain of the soil bacterium Bacillus cereus that was isolated from a patient who was suffering from a pneumonia similar to inhalation anthrax. It is not yet known exactly how the anthrax toxin genes ended up in the B. cereus isolate, but the process is assumed to have been a natural one.

The discovery was first reported in the June 1, 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The ASBMB meeting will be the first public forum in which Dr. Fraser will discuss the paper, of which she is senior author.

At the ASBMB presentation, Dr. Fraser will discuss the B. cereus study in the wider context of the comparative genomics of this family of bacteria and offer insights into the physiolo
'"/>

Contact: Sarah Goodwin
asbmb04@bellsouth.net
770-270-0989
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
14-Jun-2004


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. American Society of Mammalogists honors CI president Russell Mittermeier with Aldo Leopold award
2. National Academies advisory: July 21 meeting on S&T presidential advisory committees
3. Ralph J. Cicerone nominated to be next National Academy of Sciences president
4. Exclusive pre-BIO conference preview by president/media availability
5. AAAS president calls to restore American health system
6. Rising Maryland to welcome new biotech president
7. University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist is named ESA president
8. Peter H. Raven voted president-elect of AAAS
9. Colorado State scientist is Ecological Society of America president
10. DuPont science leader discusses Sustainability and Integrated Science for the 21st Century
11. University of Pittsburgh scientist discusses blood cell damage from biomedical devices

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: TIGR president discusses significance finding anthrax toxin

(Date:5/24/2013)... expressed concern in the ongoing public health debate is ... that are nutrient dense. A new study, "Vegetable ... Nutrients Per Penny," published in the journal PLOS ... best nutritional values in the produce aisle, providing one ... other raw vegetables and delivering one of the most ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... and grow by avoiding detection and destruction by the ... to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors ... Regulatory T cells are immune cells that function to ... the Journal of Clinical Investigation , researchers led ... T cells that infiltrate tumors express proteins that can ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... against Alzheimer,s disease, scientists have focused among other factors ... After all, it is the accumulation of A-beta that causes ... point for the formation of A-beta is APP. Alessia Soldano ... the function of APPL the fruit-fly version of APP ... Alessia Soldano (VIB/KU Leuven): "We have discovered that APPL ensures ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New research shows that potatoes provide one of the best nutritional values per penny 2A new strategy required in the search for Alzheimer's drugs? 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... Die Übersetzungen wurden von PRNewswire ... der englischen Version handelt es sich um ... Teilnehmer einer groß angelegten Asthmaumfrage halten ihren Zustand für ... -Definition [1] als kontrolliert gelten können ... von vier Denkweisen zugeordnet werden können, die alle von ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 Venaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:   APPY), ... obtaining FDA clearance and commercializing its rapid, protein biomarker-based ... of an underwritten public offering of 10,000,000 shares of ... shares of its common stock at an exercise price ... price of $1.25 per share and related warrant.  Venaxis ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Can economic incentives such as gift ... of the public to increase their donations of blood? ... Carey Business School Assistant Professor Mario Macis says ... large body of recent research that supports their argument, ... issue of Science that the World Health Organization and ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Patheon Inc ., a leading provider of contract development ... host a complimentary webinar on “Cleaning Validation: Science, Risk ... 2013 at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. , ... for cleaning validation. Many companies have incorporated their ... of risk. Some companies have chosen to avoid ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 3Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 4Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 5Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 6Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 7Venaxis Announces Pricing of Offering of Common Stock and Warrants 2Venaxis Announces Pricing of Offering of Common Stock and Warrants 3Offering Economic Incentives to Attract Blood Donations Should Be Encouraged, Research Team writes in Science 2Offering Economic Incentives to Attract Blood Donations Should Be Encouraged, Research Team writes in Science 3Patheon to Present on “Cleaning Validation: Science, Risk and Novel Approaches to Testing” 2
Cached News: