In the fall of 2001, as America was still reeling from the 9/11 attacks, a new threat emerged: a series of anthrax attacks that would ultimately kill five people and sicken seventeen others. The investigation into the attacks fell to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of the key scientists involved in the investigation was Dr. Paul Keim, a microbiologist at Northern Arizona University (NAU).
Keim and his team were tasked with identifying the source of the anthrax spores that had been used in the attacks. They quickly determined that the spores had been produced by a strain of anthrax known as the Ames strain. This strain was named after the Iowa city where it had been first isolated in 1981.
The Ames strain was a particularly virulent strain of anthrax, and it was clear that the person or people who had used it in the attacks had intended to cause widespread harm. Keim and his team worked around the clock to identify the source of the Ames strain and to develop a vaccine that could protect people from it.
One of the key breakthroughs in the investigation came when Keim and his team discovered that the anthrax spores used in the attacks had been grown in a specific type of culture medium called CM-2. This medium was only produced by a handful of laboratories in the United States, one of which was the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
The discovery of the CM-2 culture medium led the FBI to zero in on a suspect: Bruce Ivins, a microbiologist at USAMRIID. Ivins had a history of mental illness and was known to have expressed anti-Islamic and anti-American sentiments. In 2008, Ivins committed suicide before he could be brought to trial for the anthrax attacks.
Keim and his team's work was instrumental in identifying the source of the Amerithrax attacks and bringing the person responsible for them to justice. Their work also helped to develop a vaccine that has protected people from the threat of anthrax ever since.
Conclusion
Dr. Paul Keim is a true American hero. His work on the Amerithrax investigation helped to prevent further attacks and has protected people from the threat of anthrax ever since. He is a scientist of the highest caliber who is dedicated to public service.
