Ok, so the CDC has confirmed..and other things!

[Kathleen Richards]

Tanja L Davidson (tdavidso at unity.ncsu.edu) wrote:
: Anybody remember the 48 hours episode where they were first investigating 
: the Reston case?  Didn't the scientist say they were freaked out 
: initially after realizing that they had a level 4 filovirus because one 
: of the researchers smelled/inhaled the contents of the tube?  I remember 
: this fact vividly and their corresponding remarks about how the 
: researched who "smelled" the virus was put into the "hot" chamber to see 
: if he/she would develop the sypmtoms of the virus.  ie.  they knew it was 
: airborne if it was a level four filovirus.
: Is my memory shot on this one?


Yes, I believe your memory is shot on this one.  I didn't see the 48
Hours show, so I can't vouch for what *they* said, but _The Hot Zone_
and interviews with people involved explain that the scientists who
"sniffed" the vials in which Reston (unbeknownest to them) was growing
did so because no filovirus was suspected and the cultures "looked funny".
That is, they appeared to be contaminated by a type of, if I remember
correctly, mold or mildew that is a common contaminant in cultures.  This
mold/mildew has a very distinctive smell and that was what the scientists
were "sniffing" for.  When they didn't smell what they expected they
took a closer look (for this and other reasons).  Reston was found
to be contained in the cultures and the two scientists kept their sniffing
to themselves and waited it out.  Neither of them became ill.

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kathleen richards   email: kilty at netcom.com 

   ~Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug!~
                                                  -dire straits