Researchers Hide New Botulism Strain Due to Bioterrorism Fears

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The recent discovery of a new strain of botulism, contracted by an infant – the first in forty years – has alarmed California state health officials. The discovery was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in October 2013 — but the genetic sequence of the botulism toxin was removed from the report, a decision which has alarmed some scientists.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the controversy is comparable to that of two years ago, when a federal advisory board’s decision to classify scientific research of avian flu in order to prevent exploitation by a rogue state or terrorist group. The research was eventually published in scientific journals several months later.

The new strain, Clostridium Botulinum, was discovered in California last year by the Department of Public Health (CDPH). The infant who contracted the illness survived, but officials have not released information on when or where the infant was examined or treated.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

It is possible that the new botulism toxin is responsible for other illness, but the toxin might have gone undetected. Identifying a new botulism toxin requires specialized laboratories. CDPH is one of eight agencies in the country tasked with the development of antitoxins for botulism strains. The new toxin is considered deadly and is capable of killing an adult after just a minute of inhalation.

According to HLS News Wire some experts fear that limiting what is published in scientific research will set a new standard of censorship.