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A Run on Antibiotics as Fearful Public Awaits Anthrax Test Results

By Allen G. Breed Associated Press Writer Published: Oct 10, 2001

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - Pharmacies were running low on an anthrax antibiotic Wednesday as area residents rushed to fill prescriptions as a precaution. Officials also said the strain of the bacteria that killed a man last week may be related to one isolated at an Iowa lab a half-century ago. Joshua Lubitz, a pharmacist at an Eckerd drugstore in Boca Raton, said he normally distributes about 200 tablets of Cipro per week. Since Monday, he had dispensed 2,500 - and not for treatment of urinary tract infections or pneumonia.

"They want Cipro specifically for the threat of the possibility of anthrax," Lubitz said. Another pharmacist said he ran out on Tuesday.

FBI investigators in white biohazard "moon suits" spent a third day collecting evidence at the supermarket tabloid offices of the two men whose exposure to anthrax has added to terrorism fears across the country.

The Palm Beach County Health Department ordered the building closed Wednesday for 30 days while the investigation continues into where the anthrax came from and whether it was deliberately released.

There has been no sign of anthrax anywhere in the country since traces were found early this week on the computer keyboard of Robert Stevens and up the nose of a mailroom co-worker.

Stevens, a 63-year-old photo editor with The Sun, died last Friday of inhaled anthrax, a rare and particularly lethal form of the disease. The mail worker, 73-year-old Ernesto Blanco, was in good condition and was expected to be moved out of intensive care soon.

Florida health officials have said the bacteria in Stevens' blood responded to antibiotics, suggesting it was a naturally occurring strain, rather than a laboratory-altered one.

A law enforcement official said Wednesday on condition of anonymity that preliminary work on the anthrax that killed Stevens has found a possible match to a laboratory strain first isolated in Iowa. However, further tests are being done.

It is possible the bacteria originated from the so-called Ames strain, which was isolated from an animal in the 1940s at Iowa State University in Ames, but health officials didn't confirm that. The strain has been widely used across the country as a standard for comparison by scientists trying to determine whether a tissue sample contains anthrax.

"Anybody that's working with it (anthrax) has the Ames strain in his stock, but there are not many people in the country that work with it," said Norman Cheville, dean of Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Health officials have repeatedly said there is no public health threat from the Florida anthrax case, but suspicious packages prompted people to seek medical tests in Wisconsin and Texas. Officials also closed buildings in several states.

The fear has been particular acute in Florida.

Nearly 800 people who worked with or near Stevens have had their noses swabbed and blood taken to determine whether they were exposed to anthrax. Many were given supplies of antibiotics like Cipro and told to come back for more tests later.

Bayer AG, Germany's biggest drug maker, said it will boost production of Cipro to meet surging U.S. demand by reopening a closed production plant. One of the leading U.S. distributors of the antibiotic, McKesson HBOC, said it has not encountered any shortages.

Grace Kjelden, who works almost a mile away from the American Media office building where Stevens worked, has been experiencing flu-like symptoms that health officials have warned the public to look out for.

She tried to get tested at the Palm Beach County Health Department but was turned away Monday. An Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, she even called the Veterans Administration and asked to be tested.

By Wednesday, she was willing to do almost anything to allay her fears.

"I'm about to go upstairs and lie and tell them I work at AMI," she said. "It's a Catch-22. It's 'wait until you're on your deathbed and then we'll test you.'"

The concerns also spread to newsstands. American Media executives said they had received phone calls from supermarket chains and tabloid readers who were afraid they might come into contact with the bacteria while leafing through the paper.

AMI chief executive David Pecker cited the CDC in saying there is no danger to the public from handling newspaper. The company's tabloids, including The Sun, are not printed in Florida.

Company employees underwent blood testing Wednesday at the Delray Beach offices, leaving with gauze bandages on their arms and small American flags in their hands.

Debbie Bottcher, a proofreader for The National Enquirer, said after her blood test that she would have to take another one in two weeks.

"They can't tell from the first blood test, so it's a two-part deal," she said. "It was painless - and reassuring."

Donnie Gilbert, a senior executive assistant at Star magazine, said she was going in for a blood test and to work on the next edition.

"We're just taking our pills. That's all we can do," Gilbert said. "I'm as bewildered as the next person."

Fair use, for educational purposes.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001