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American Morning
Anthrax: Field Test Kit Only For Use by Hazmat Teams
Aired October 19, 2001 - 10:43 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've heard A lot of concern out there about anthrax. Just because you have some flu-like symptoms of course does not mean you have anthrax. Turns out there is a kit out there that can tell you the answer.
Our Jeanne Meserve has the latest on a home testing kit. Jeanne, who knew such a thing existed.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, actually this is not a home testing kit. This is a field kit that is used by hazardous material teams. Right now we have a sample, we're going to put in a machine. Tom, why don't you go ahead and pop that in. This machine is going to give us result on the particular test that we've run.
We have little videotape show you of how we got to this point. Maybe we can roll that now. These things look rather like a pregnancy tests, frankly, and they work the same way.
There you see Tom who has had some substance in solution. He's using a pipette and putting just a few drops of it in one of the kits and then the -- it travels across the membrane and sometimes you get markings on the membrane that show you whether you've got a positive or negative result.
But Dr. Bill Nelson, who heads this company, Tetracore, is with us to tell us why sometimes it's advisable to use one of these machines to read the results as well.
DR. BILL NELSON, CO-FOUNDER OF TETRACORE INC.: Yeah, Basically, sometimes the result -- if you were in a situation where there was a lot of stress and you were relying on that and you're looking at it -- the line may be very faint.
And you're looking at it -- Is there a line? Isn't there a line? Basically, this way the person can put that in -- basically -- and not a biologist -- a hazmat responder can get an objective reading that it's actually negative or positive.
MESERVE: Now how many hazardous materials teams have this equipment?
NELSON: There -- Quite a few. Large number of the major cities were already buying them. Everybody is now interested in them. They're back-ordered and they will probably be back-ordered for a couple of weeks.
MESERVE: Business has really skyrocketed for you guys.
NELSON: Business has skyrocketed, that's right.
MESERVE: Now, you were once a weapon's inspector in Iraq for the United Nations. As someone with that expertise, I'm curious as to whether you think this country was well enough prepared for anthrax.
NELSON: Well enough in the sense that when you're looking at the situation that's happened right now. Would we have spent all this money, quickly like we are doing right now? We were getting prepared. There were probably plenty of deficiencies.
But basically those are deficiencies that have accumulated for many years in the public health structure, in terms of infectious disease, because we thought they were gone and not a problem. So, those things that we're currently doing right now, that's going to hopefully make up for some of those deficiencies.
MESERVE: Now, Daryn mentioned home test kits. You do not advocate those. Tell me why.
NELSON: We do not, we do not advo -- basically, the -- the haz- mat responder is a professional. He understands the situation, what to do with the sample, and how to handle it. If you were looking at a person who brings in, he may make a mistake. It will read negative if it should have read positive. It could say positive even though it's negative. You're going to cause an enormous amount of panic.
MESERVE: And right here, we have the test results coming out of the machine. It says positive, but don't worry folks we are not dealing with anthrax spores here, right?
NELSON: No this is -- no this is, basically, we have a simulant that we can use to make the test go positive. It is not anthrax.
MESERVE: Okay, great. And there are further tests that should be done after this is completed as well, this is a preliminary screening test.
NELSON: Yes it should go to a laboratory that's able to diagnose anthrax.
MESERVE: Okay, and we have to leave it there. Dr. Bill Nelson. Thanks so much. Back to you in Atlanta.
KAGAN: Well, Jeanne, thanks for clearing that up. Clearly we're not talking about something that is a home testing kit. It appears that even if -- if you have a concern you do still need to go to your doctor for that testing or some kind of medical service that is being provided by your company. Jeanne Meserve, thank you very much.
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