MicrobeWorld

The US public health system has serious vulnerabilities, and one major problem is identifying and responding to public health crimes. The investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks is a case in point. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently published its report on the scientific methodologies used in the FBI investigation into the anthrax-laced letters that killed five people. The NAS committee of experts, which was asked to review only the unclassified scientific aspects of the investigation, concluded that despite the FBI's years of work, the origins of the Bacillus anthracis spores used in the attacks could not be determined with certainty.