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UMass probes mystery of deadly toxin
By Steve Urbon, Standard-Times senior
correspondent
PETER PEREIRA/The
Standard-Times
Dr. Jingzhong Zhang, a research associate at
a UMass Dartmouth laboratory, prepares an experiment involving
botulism, a 4-billion-year-old protein. Those working in the lab are
trying to develop an antidote to botulinum neurotoxin, a Class A
biological warfare agent that Iraq is expected to have at its
disposal. |
DARTMOUTH -- Perhaps no one has a healthier respect for botulism than
Dr.
Bal Ram Singh, a chemist and researcher at UMass Dartmouth. He eagerly
presides over a beehive of cluttered offices and laboratories in the
Violette Building, devoted to the study of the deadliest substance known
to man, botulinum neurotoxin, a Class A biological warfare agent.
In White
House parlance, this UMass Dartmouth lab is working on a "weapon of mass
destruction," of the kind that Iraq is expected to lob at U.S. forces and
their allies should war commence against Saddam Hussein.
In the
labs, students and researchers work side by side laboriously extracting
botulinum and subjecting it to endless tests and examinations using a
bewildering collection of instruments and tools. They also test and
analyze strains of botulinum used in the medical field under the trade
name Botox to smooth wrinkled skin and even ease the muscle tension that
causes crossed eyes.
At
UMass, the goal since this time last year has been to develop a new
antidote (and detection method) by trying to determine specifically which
nerves in the human body are attacked and paralyzed by botulism, a 4
billion-year-old protein that zeroes in on what Dr. Singh considers the
most evolved organic system, nerve structures. "It has evolved to attack
the most critical system," Dr. Singh said with a sense of wonderment in
his voice. "From a purely scientific point of view, it is one of the most
fascinating proteins to work with."
The
researchers have their eye on a particular portion of the botulism toxin
that is harmless by itself, but which can trigger immune responses as a
human defense. The work is being done under a $1.1 million grant from the
U.S. Army, continuing 13 years of research in the UMass labs.
These
laboratories, with their clutter of glassware, computers, chemicals and
apparatus, are dealing with small amounts, tiny in fact, compared to what
Dr. Singh is convinced that Saddam Hussein possesses. He recounts that in
1991 Iraq was said to have 19,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 10,000 liters
of which was loaded into artillery shells and subsequently destroyed under
the U.N. weapons inspections process.
But that
other 9,000 liters went unaccounted for. And even if they were not, he
said, botulinum is very easy to produce once a country has a good sample
of the bacterium that produces it, clostridium botulinum. All that needs
to be done is feed the bacteria the kind of common nutrients used to grow
lab cultures. And since the bacteria is anaerobic -- meaning that it needs
no oxygen to thrive -- this can be done almost anywhere, out of sight, and
quite easily, Dr. Singh said. In fact, his lab produces its own supply on
site.
Producing botulism isn't very high-tech, either. First identified in the
late 19th century, botulism has been produced as a weapon since the 1930s,
although Dr. Singh believes all but a handful of rogue nations have
disavowed its stockpiling and use.
Not many
people die of botulism poisoning, of which there are three types:
food-related from improper handling or canning; infant, a rare form; and
wound contamination, especially among intravenous drug users. Worldwide
there are about 1,000 deaths each year, about 200 in this country,
Dr.
Singh said.
There is
an existing vaccine, but it is difficult to produce and is available
mainly to members of the armed forces and to medical personnel, and
researchers such as Dr. Singh's students and staff, all of whom are
inoculated. But there is no commercial vaccine, which is one object of his
research.
On the
brink of war, the question is: How vulnerable are we to biochemical
attack, particularly botulism? We have heard much about smallpox, and
somewhat less about chemical attack, which Dr. Singh believes is the worse
threat to our troops in the field.
As for
botulism, despite its extreme toxicity, Dr. Singh believes that troops can
effectively deal with it -- first with their biochemical warfare
protective gear, and then by eradicating the poison using detergent.
Botulism (as well as anthrax) needs to be ingested, as opposed to other
agents that are absorbed through the skin.
Small
groups of terrorists, he said, would have a hard time dispersing enough
botulism in this country or any other to cause a great loss of life,
although the terror effect could be high. Governments such as that of
Iraq, however, are much more capable of developing aircraft, such as
unmanned drones, that could disperse aerosol botulism over larger areas,
where it could linger for months. In Dr. Singh's view, that makes it a
real threat.
"If this
is state-sponsored, it could become very dangerous," he said.
This story appeared on Page A1 of The
Standard-Times on March 19, 2003.
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