• CDC counts 383 salmonella cases from tomatoes

    The toll of the U.S. salmonella outbreak continues to rise; tomatoes from sections of Mexico and Florida remain the main suspects as the source of the outbreak

  • Good results in tests for BioNeutral's anti-anthrax technology

    New Jersey company uses its Ygiene formulation to kill anthrax spores on contact; formulation killed all anthrax spores exposed to the formulation in as little fifteen seconds

  • Investing in biodefense companies, II

    Billions of dollars are being spent on finding vaccines and treatments for possible bioterror attacks; investment analyst says that these billions of dollars in government spending notwithstanding, when considering an investment in a company doing R&D in the bioterror field, you should consider its non-terror-related biotechnology efforts, and the quality of its management team

  • Universal biosensor would detect disease, bioterror attack, pollution

    A consortium of U.K. research institutions, in collaboration with a Chinese University, work on developing a universal biosensor which would help in many types of detection — from home diagnosis of disease to chemical plant monitoring, anti-bioterrorism, and pandemic outbreak

  • New mercury detector developed

    University of Massachusetts researcher develops new mercury detector which detects minute quantities of mercury even in the presence of other metals

  • Why it takes so long to trace a bad tomato

    Tomatoes do not carry bar codes, so it is difficult to trace the source of the recent tomato-borne salmonella outbreak; tomatoes coming from Mexico and parts of Florida are prime suspects

  • New bird flu vaccine looks promising

    Baxter’s cell-based vaccine appears to work better than more traditional egg-based ones; tests show promise at low doses

  • Making U.S. food safe, I: FDA not moving fast enough

    The recent outbreak of tomatoe-borne salmonella poisoning moved legislators to charge that the FDA has not made good on its promise last year to make food safer for U.S. consumers

  • Making U.S. food safe, II: Tracing the sources of bad food

    The United States lacks a system for effective tacking and tracing of food supplies as they are distributed throughout the country; one expert says that “Right now the technology [for tracking food] exists, but it’s not being used widely because companies aren’t required to use them”

  • Background: More on tomato-borne salmonella

    Recent census of produce outbreaks between 1996 and 2007 counted no fewer than 33 epidemics from Salmonella-contaminated fruits and vegetables; in five of them, tomatoes were the culprit

  • FDA warns of tomatoe-bornes almonellosis

    The Food and Drug Administration warns U.S consumers, restaurants of salmonella poisioning causes by three types oftomatoes; 145 cases reported, with 23 requiring hospitalization

  • New method to treat deadly water-polluting fish disease

    Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) has caused massive declines in population among fish species, ranging from walleyes to salmon, in all of the Great Lakes except Superior; new water treatment method could help keep a deadly fish disease out of Lake Superior

  • Tom Daschle calls for greater U.S.-U.K. bioterror cooperation

    Daschle: “The threat of bioterrorism will increase exponentially because biological agents used to carry out such attacks will continue to become more accessible and more technologically advanced”

  • Investing in biodefense companies

    Billions of dollars are pouring into biodefense vaccines and treatments; do companies engaged in developing such vaccines and treatment offer attractive investment opportunities? The answer is a qualified “Yes” to this specific question — but a more resounding “Yes” when these companies’ other research and development endeavors are taken into consideration

  • India to test anthrax vaccine

    India is worried about bioterror attacks by Islamic extremists; it starts testing the potency of U.S.-manufactured vaccine; initially enough doses will be stored to protect military personnel