University lab focuses on deadly natural biological agents

In the decade since the Center for Biological Defense at the University of South Florida opened, the research facility has shifted its focus from man-made biological agents to detecting natural biological threats.

Andrew Cannons, the lab supervisor, said nature is “a much better terrorist than man could ever be.”

Opened shortly after 9/11 and the anthrax letter attacks, the lab initially received $4 million to help create a system to prepare public health workers to deal with bioterrorism attacks.

The lab initially focused primarily on helping emergency responders gather samples, creating a streamlined process to ensure that samples remained pure and workers were protected. The lab also developed a test to quickly determine if a substance was dangerous or not – its methods were capable of identifying anthrax spores in about fifteen minutes.

From there, the lab went on to discover new methods for genetically identifying the “bugs” and finding out whether they had been seen elsewhere and would respond to antibiotics.

So far the lab has collected about 1,500 strains of bacteria that Cannons called “a unique collection of bacteria that no one else has.”

Now the lab is focusing on threats stemming from nature to stay ahead of the curve.

Cannons said the University of South Florida is constantly preparing for “what’s around the corner,” whether it be a deadly virus, antibiotic-resistant organism, or food-borne illness.