BACTERIA AND CRIME

Would you have thought that there is a connection between bacteria and crime? In fact, there are several. Bacteria
can be a weapon, the cause of violence, a tool to solve a crime, and even the subject of a crime.
Bacteria as lethal weapons
Sad but true, biological warfare with deadly bacteria is a real-life scenario. If you want detailed information on this
subject, see our Special Feature File on bioterrorism. The 'favored' killer-bug is Bacillus anthracis, causative of
Anthrax, followed by Yersinia pestis, causing bulbonic plague.
Committing a crime with bacteria
There has been a tragic case where a harmless product, tryptophan (an aminoacid sold as a food supplement) was
brought on the market with an unknown toxic contaminant in the preparation. Several people died before the cause
was identified. In this case the bacteria used to produce tryptophan were blamed, although the scientists who
manipulated those bacteria are to blame: they had added genes to the bacteria to produce more tryptophan, and the
intracellular concentrations reached such high levels that the compound started to react spontaneously with other cel
material, leading to a deadly poisonous mixture. A lesson to take care with genetic modification, though the tragic
could have been easily prevented by proper controls. There is some fierce opposition against GMO's (genetically
modified organisms) in food; these people are mainly concerned about modified crop plants. If they were to fight
genetically modified bacteria they would be overwhelmed, as such bacteria are everywhere. Fortunately, these
bacteria hardly ever turn criminal.
Bacterial infections as a cause of violent acts
Some studies suggest that bacterial infections can lead to criminal behaviour.
Streptococcus infections are linked to hyperactivity, and hyperactivity is linked to criminal behaviour, one may
propose antibiotics will one day be prescribed to convicts? That seems a bit far-stretched. But indeed there have
been cases described where a young individual suddenly developed behavioral problems, which only resolved after
treatment against a Strep infection. More about Strep-induced Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Look at our
species file on Streptococci for a more classical description of Strep infections.
A case exists, where a crime was committed by someone suffering from a late-stage Lyme disease, and the
infection was blamed for the violent behavior. Whether true or not, Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia
burgdorferi should better be treated at an early stage, to prevent suffering in or out of goal .
Bacteria as a forensic tool
Although not yet commonly used, bacteria present at the site of a crime can give important clues. For instance,
bacteria on a body can reveal how long the body has been dead. We now know that every human hand provides a
unique bacterial ecosystem. Will one day microbiology be part of forensic science?
Another way how bacteria can help is when they detect illegal substances or toxic compounds, and report their
presence as biosensors. Such 'glowing bacteria' can speed up forensic investigations.
Bacteria as the subject of a crime
Bacteria can be the subject of a crime. Suppose a bacterium is patented, and this patent is broken: that would be a
criminal act. Natural bacteria can not be patented because they are living organisms. However, genetically modified
bacteria can be protected with a patent. (What is a patent?) In case you're interested: there is a guide how to
deposit a patent for microorganisms . Modern-time Sherlock Holmeses may need a microscope instead of a
magnifying glass!
Bacteria are even at risk of being stolen. It is unusual, but here have been cases of vials with bacteria being stolen,
and often their contents was potentially dangerous. Whether on purpose (as in a case where a scientist wanted to
commit suicide with stolen bacteria) or unknowingly (as with missing vials of plague bacteria that cost the lead
scientist his job), in such cases microbiology may enter the court room.
 BIOTERRORISM
Bioterrorism is the term used for terroristic activities in which biological substances are used to cause harm to other
people. Bioterrorism is a combination of biological warfare and terrorism and due to particular events bioterrorism
has received lot of attention in the first decade of this century
There are a number of diseases that can potentially be used as a weapon. There are two scenarios that are currently
seriously dreaded. One is the spread of an infectious disease through the air, the other is the contamination of
drinking water. It is not at all easy to choose a biological weapon or to produce one. People have lived with diseases
for as long as they exist, and have learned to cope with most infections. Our body has inborne defenses against
diseases, and during life we have been exposed to many diseases, and become immune to a number of them. See
our exhibit on pathogensto learn about bacteria that cause disease. Our exhibit on 'pathogenicity' explains some of
the properties that bacteria have to cause disease. Finally, our immune system is explained in a separate exhibit. So
what are the requirements for a serious biological weapon to spread through the air?
The disease must be severe within a short time: it must have a short incubation period
it must be able to cause disease by inhalation (for airborne threats) or survive in water (for drinking water threats)
it must be possible to produce the causative agent in large amounts at minimal risk (for the rogue producer, that is).
This excludes a number of diseases that have a long incubation time, are not severe enough, or to which a majority
of the population is immune (due to natural occurance or vaccination programs, such as measles or tetanus). In
general, viral diseases are unpractical to produce as a weapon, since viruses can only reproduce inside a body (or
inside a cell under laboratory conditions). This makes the production of viruses expensive, technically difficult and
tedious. Nevertheless, smallpox (which no longer exists outside the laboratory) has been considered as a bioweapon
by several countries, and repositories of the virus exist till this day, as a back-up in case the virus is released in the
wild (by accident or on purpose). The debate whether or not to destroy these goes on.
To work with deadly viruses, people have to protect themselves to the highest possible degree . For this reason
deadly viral diseases such as smallpox, Lassa or Ebola virus are unlikely to be used as a weapon.
Bacteria are easier to produce than viruses. Therefore bacterial bioweapons are the most dreaded. There are only
certain bacteria able to cause disease after inhalation.The diseases they cause must be severe but uncommon, so
that not many people are immune. The lethality of a biological attack has been compared to that of a nuclear attack.
Only a few bacterial diseases are seriously considered as potential weapons for bioterrorists:
Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis
Tularemia, caused by Francisella tularensis
With these organisms experiments have been carried out to investigate how 'suitable' they are to be used as a
weapon. They were found remarkably suitable, though there remain severe practical problems, mainly with the mode
of spreading/spraying (to be effective the organisms have to be spread in a fine mist of aerosols), and the weather
(humidity, wind, temperature) strongly influences the effects. These 'natural enemies' of biological substances, and
some of the effective protection measures that can be taken, are described in 'defending against invisible killers'.
A second scenario for a bioterrorist attack is to spread a biological agent through drinking water or food that is
contaminated on purpose. This can be an organism or a toxic compound that poses a danger after swallowing.
Again, the effect should be severe and fast. The idea is not new: in every war there has been rumours that the
enemy was contaminating water wells, and sometimes they were. Here is an overview of bioterrorism avant-la-
lettre.
Cholera has been named as a candidate to contaminate water, and cholera was endemic in large parts of the
world, including the US, until recently. This proves that Vibrio cholerae, the organism causing cholera, can survive in
moderate climates. However, effective water-cleaning facilities would soon inactivate the organism, and cholera
hardly spreads from person-to-person. Having said that, naturally-occuring outbreaks of enteric diseases by
contaminated water supplies are frequently occuring, which shows that the system is not perfect. Terrorists know
this, too.
Botulin, the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, is a potent toxic agent that can be present in spoiled (canned)
food
 Salmonella. back in 1984 a cult group contaminated salads with Salmonella to influence the results of county
elections. In general, however, Salmonella is not regarded 'serious' enough to be used by terrorists. Contaminated
food would quickly be withdrawn from the shelves, and this kind of terrorism (or threatening with it) is more likely
used to blackmail companies than to do serious harm to civilians.
What will be the effects when you are exposed to one of these organisms?
At first, nothing. It takes time for a pathogen to make a person ill. You wouldn't see, smell or taste anything
exceptional. Then you might fall ill with symptoms similar to a 'flue or an upset stomach, however these soon turn
severe. You'd see a doctor, and soon doctors would realize that there is something seriously wrong with you. By
then, a number of things will happen. You will receive medication, and if you're lucky you'll survive, for at an early
stage antibiotics can be quite effective. The doctor will report the case and officials will set out an alert. Then,
probably, panic strikes. Can we trace down where and when the infection took place? Who else got infected?
Everybody with the slightest symptoms would present to a doctor. Normal life could come to a stop. Exposed people
may further spread the infection. An epidemic, either caused naturally or by terrorism, may last for months or longer.
How likely is it that terrorists produce bioweapons?
A fermentor (to produce bacteria at a large scale) is easy to build and operate. Pathogenic bacteria are easy to get
and to grow. The techniques to manipulate these bacteria to make them more dangerous (make them resistant to
antibiotics, for instance) are harder but not impossible to obtain. Still, the chance that you will suffer such an attack is
minute, compared to the much more realistic scenario that you'll suffer your next infectious disease (serious or
minor) from natural causes.
The possibility that bioterrorist choose our agricultural food supply as a target can not be ignored. People would
not be killed, but economy would be crippled. The economic effect of the last Foot-and-Mouth disease in the UK
could easily be equalled with a well-targeted shot of the virus into a US cow.
After reading this, you may not like the idea that bacteria can be used to do harm on purpose. But don't blame them.
Blame the people who misuse them.
 APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY: USE OF BACTERIA IN INDUSTRY

Bacteria have many properties that are useful to industry. The diversity of the Bacterial kingdom is reflected by the
diverse applications of bacteria as a cheap labor force.
Let's start with something spectacular: Bacteria can be used to mine gold! well, not quite, but the discovery
that Thiobacillus ferrooxidans can concentrate gold trapped in rock minerals drew the attention of mining companies,
and they are now developing a method of applying these bacteria in the gold mining industry. Biomining may be the
way of mining in the future, and researchers are now trying to modify the bacteria so that they collect the ores of
interest .
Certain bacteria are used to clean our waste: be it pollution, compost heaps, or sewage: bacteria can get rid of
things. The subject may not appeal to you, but there are microbes that clean sewage - and generate electricity at
the same time! Or let themclean up metal waste, and serve as catalysts later on, to assist in chemical
processes. Bacteria have a taste for mining wastewaters no matter how toxic the contaminants are for animals and
humans. Specialized bacteria metabolize these toxic chemicals into non-toxic, or less toxic compounds.
Here are more examples of how diverse our use of bacteria is:
Bacteria can degrade herbicides (toxic compounds that farmers use to combat weeds). Also pesticides can be
degraded by bacteria (other toxic compounds, this time to combat pests). Such bacterial activities are important
because this is how contaminated groundwater can be cleaned; humans may enforce this bacterial workload a little
to repair the collateral damage of agriculture.
How can ammonia, a component of dung and fertilizer, be benificial to plants although it is toxic? Only
when nitrifying bacteria convert it to nitrite, and others change that to nitrate, which is a component that plants can
use directly.
Bacteria eat oil and a whole range of organic chemicals, like gasoline, diesel, benzene, toluene, acetone, and even
PCB's. Most of these are toxic to humans and higher organisms; fortunately they can be degraded into safe
compounds by bacteria. When human activity employs bacteria this way it is called bioremediation. More about
biomediation: using bacteria to clean up hazardous waste.
An even more spectacular property is that some bacterial species might be used for cleaning up our nuclear waste.
The radioactivity cannot be destroyed or inactivated by the bacteria, but they can 'eat' all chemical toxic solvents in
which these radioactive wastes are often present, and thus slow down or prevent corrosion.
Did you know? Bacteria can make plastic!And yet other bacteria can eat plastic, a discovery made by a 16-year
young scientist. Imagine what happens if these different species would live together: one kind would produce the
food for the other. Although it is not so in this particular case, such bacterial communities that 'care' for each
other are actually quite common.
Some bacteria are currently investigated for their power to manipulate mosquito's - and in that way we could fight
malaria with bacteria. In fact, the ways how bacteria can be applied are nearly as diverse as their life styles.
But even those bacteria for which we haven't found an application, have a role to play in their own environment.
Bacteria are essential components of the biospere of our planet.
 GOOD BACTERIA IN FOOD

Most people would think bacteria in or on food can only be harmful. True, food poisoning caused by bacteria and
their products is a serious problem, and how to ensure food safety is treated in a different exhibit. However, certain
bacteria are safe and deliberately added to food, as they are required for the desired taste and texture. This exhibit
describes some of the applications of bacteria and their products in the food industry.
Bacteria are commonly used in dairy products. Sour cream and Creme fresh (make your own Creme fresh) are
both the products of cream after bacteria were allowed to grow in it. The difference in flavour, texture, and behavior
(sour cream will curdle when heated, creme fresh will not) all result from the differences in bacteria required to
produce the two products. Buttermilk (make your own) is low in fat and cheese comes many variations . Yogurt is
probably one of the oldest forms of fermented milk.
Is it dangerous to eat food containing bacteria? Certainly not, as long as they are the right kind of bugs. It may even
be benificial to eat diary products that contain living cultures. The evidence is growing that 'good' bacteria, also
called probiotics, can improve the health of people with intestinal disorders. Whether healthy people will become
even more healthy is another question. Fermented milk products are often suitable for people with a lactose
intolerance though the product should not be heated after fermentation.
Fermented milk products are not completely fluid because casein, the major protein in milk, is insoluble in acid. And
all those milk-fermenting bacteria produce acid. Casein is also the protein that makes cheese solid. Fermented diary
products taste different due to the bacteria used to make them. So what kind of bacteria are used for the production
of diary products ? They are collectively known as 'starter cultures'. Most manufacturers will not release their magical
strain of bacteria, producing just the right flavour, but here are their general characteristics:
Table on diary bacteria and their products
Brevibacterium linens makes Limburger cheese so smelly Isolate Brevibacterium linens.
Propionibacter shermanii makes the holes in Swiss cheese
Lactobacillus bulgaricus, making the famous yoghurt, is named after the Bulgar tribe of nomads.
Vegetables can be fermented too. Read about an ancient tradition . For instance, bacteria are the working lot to
producesauerkraut. The word 'sauerkraut' is German and means sour cabbage. And that is what it is: finely cut
white cabbage leaves, left fermenting by lactic acid bacteria. Believe it or not: kraut only contains cabbage and salt.
It doesn't taste salt because of the acid produced by the lactic acid bacteria, and the salt prevents fouling bacteria to
grow. The bacteria used for sauerkraut isLeuconostoc mesenteroides . The same principle is used with pickling
other foods, such as onions, olives, or meat. Almost always do lactic acid bacteria their little jobs to 'pickle to
perfection' .
Have you ever thought that bacteria were used to produce chocolate and coffee? Although bacteria are not present
in the final products containing chocolate (providing a bit of history on the black stuff), bacteria help fermenting
choclolate beans and so helps create its taste. Chocolate may not even be bad for you but just don't overdo it .
Another example of bacteria helping to produce food products is vinegar. Whether good or bad depends on what
the product should be. Wine makers will do their best to inhibit Acetobacter ferminting their grape juice: in order to
produce wine, yeast should grow but not bacteria. However, if the desired product is vinegar, bacteria have their
chance. Read more about wine and vinegar making in our special feature file.
Fermenting bacteria are used in the production of sausage. This time, lactic acid bacteria and Pediococci do the
job. The ins and outs of fermentation during sausage production. Don't worry, you can still enjoy your meat snacks
since bacteria used in sausages are not at all related to E. coli or Salmonella, the enemies of every butcher. In
fact, lactic acid bacteria are able to kill Listeria, a newly discovered ability that supports the safety of cured meats .
And, finally, if you want to be active yourself, get started!