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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2002;287:3070.

Anthrax bacteria used in last fall's mail attack at a Florida publisher were definitely derived from the original 1981 Ames strain, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which teamed with the National Science Foundation and other agencies to fund a recently completed analysis. By analyzing variable regions in the genomes of the two strains, researchers at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), Rockville, Md, also determined that the Florida strain was not genetically engineered.

While it showcased emerging single nucleotide analysis technology, the study did not pinpoint the exact origin of the Florida strain, as the differences between the two strains were small and a broad set of genetic markers did not emerge. "It's like taking two first cousins from a remote village, determining their differences, and then trying to differentiate the whole human race based on those differences," said TIGR's Timothy Read, PhD (Science Express [online]. May 2, 2002; 1071837).

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