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CNN Live At Daybreak

Anthrax Scare: Florida Anthrax Strain Possibly Produced in Iowa in 1950s

Aired October 10, 2001 - 08:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The anthrax strain responsible for the death of a Florida man may have been manufactured at a facility in Iowa about 50 years ago.

Susan Candiotti first brought us this development about two hours ago this morning by telephone. Now in Florida again, here is Susan with more -- good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning, Bill.

After extensive testing, sources say investigators now believe they've pinpointed the origin of a strain of anthrax that killed a Florida man.

Now, investigators stress that no conclusions have been made, and more testing is going on. However, they say, it appears the strain matches one that was manufactured at a facility in Iowa in the 1950s. The sources do not identify the facility.

Now, if the match is, indeed, positive, it would mean the anthrax strain was manmade and did not appear naturally, for example, from bacteria linked to animals. And the FBI's case would then move closer to a criminal investigation.

The question remains, of course: How did the anthrax get there to begin with? Spores of the bacteria that killed Robert Stevens, an employee of American Media, were found on a computer keyboard at the Boca Raton headquarters of that company. That is where Stevens worked as a photo editor. And you will recall that a second employee, Ernesto Blanco, who worked in the mailroom, has also been exposed to the bacteria. He is hospitalized in stable condition.

Now, when the anthrax strain was produced back in the 1950s, sources said, scientists were working to create it artificially for research purposes. But what happened over the years that would end up with its reappearance in a Florida newspaper building is a mystery that investigators have not yet solved.

They are also searching for the source of the anthrax since his death amid rising fears of a biological terrorist attack, but no connection has yet been found linking the anthrax infection with any known terrorist threat. And to conclude: You know, it appears that, you know, that the FBI has been collecting samples from the headquarters of that company for a few days now, and it does look like they may be finishing up that work today as they try to see if there are any other spores elsewhere in the building.

HEMMER: All right, Susan -- Susan Candiotti by telephone.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta telling us yesterday that, indeed, they can trace back many forms of anthrax to the absolute origin, which indeed, at this point would certainly help in an investigative standpoint.

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