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GUINEA PIGS COULD BE EARLY DETECTORS OF ANTHRAX
"The only detectors available at the present are humans who get sick or die," according to Cyrus Taylor, professor of physics and director of Case Western Reserve University's Physics Entrepreneurship Program. A temporary solution would be placing guinea pigs in highly trafficked public buildings like schools, stadiums, post offices, and city halls. The idea came as a result of a class assignment for Physics 491, "Modern Physics in Innovations I," a course in the CWRU's Physics Entrepreneurship Program. "The exercise in formulating the problem and coming up with an innovative answer was the goal of the class assignment," says Taylor. Edward Caner, a PEP fellow from Lakeside, Ohio, and one of five students in the class, explored the idea of using small animals as an immediate solution to the problem. Other students looked at the development of high-tech instruments that involved DNA chips and special forms of air detectors, which would need to be developed over time. The guinea pig was selected because of its lung size. It can contract anthrax after breathing as many as 10 spores, whereas a human must breathe in 8,000-10,000 spores, according to Lawrence Krauss, CWRU's chair and Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics. How much anthrax is needed to infect people? A 1977 report by the U.S. Law Enforcement Agency Assistance Administration said an ounce of anthrax introduced into the air-conditioning system of a domed stadium could infect 70-80,000 spectators in an hour. Guinea pigs contract anthrax in one to three days, while the course of illness in humans ranges from four to 11 days. Guinea pigs also do not get colds or the flu, and erratic behavior is easily identified in the animals, according to Caner. He searched the Internet for information about rodents and their susceptibility to disease, called veterinarians, and then searched the library for additional supporting information. If guinea pigs are properly fed, cages cleaned, and given a good living environment, they can have a life span of five years. At approximately $150 in start-up costs for purchasing the animal, cage, and food, plus monthly costs of $40 for food and $100 for weekend and holiday care, Caner says it's an inexpensive and low-tech solution to detecting anthrax in the environment. Caner used this information to design a business proposal for the class, which is geared for scientists who want to start their own companies or market their inventions. He developed a low-cost model, called "Education through Animals," where guinea pigs could be placed in schools and also serve as classroom educational projects. Caner estimates the cost to place two or three animals each in 150 schools in Cuyahoga County would be up to $67,500 in start-up costs, with up to $63,000 in monthly costs. If a guinea pig dies, a necropsy on the animal's lung tissue would be done to test for anthrax. Caner says the tests could be completed within hours. He also feels the use of the animals has potential as a tracking device to trace the flow of the anthrax spores that are easily diffused. But Krauss cautions against a stampede to pet stores for guinea pigs. He explains, "If everyone went out and bought a guinea pig, there would be a lot of hysteria. Ed's company proposes, 'Let's do this in an organized fashion.' It's not a perfect solution, but we don't have anything else."
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