Quote:
Originally posted by Superbelt
Anthrax spores survive for decades? What I have seen say they only survive for a couple of years at best in a laboratory environment.
They can survive for 60 years or more, but only when left in the environment. In a lab, or controlled setting, they have a short shelf life.
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I am not a microbiologist, but a link off the a CDC website to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/281/18/1735? is referenced to make this statement,
Quote:
The inhalation of anthrax spores can lead to infection and disease. The possibility of creating aerosols containing anthrax spores has made B. anthracis a chosen weapon of bioterrorism. Iraq, Russia, North Korea and as many as ten nations have the capability to load spores of B. anthracis into weapons. Domestic terrorists may develop means to distribute spores via mass attacks or small-scale attacks at a local level.
As an agent of biological warfare it is expected that a cloud of anthrax spores would be released at a strategic location to be inhaled by the individuals under attack. Spores of B. anthracis can be produced and stored in a dry form and remain viable for decades in storage or after release.
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(
http://www.bact.wisc.edu/Bact330/lectureanthrax)
As far as I can tell this means that it is possible to store weaponized anthrax for decades. But, I am not a microbiologist.
-- Alvin