Anthrax is suspected of being responsible for a spate of deaths among heroin addicts in Europe.
New Scientist magazine reports that tests at Britain's biological defence lab at Porton Down have found signs of infection by the bacterium in two of the 10 addicts killed so far in Scotland. But a public health expert in Glasgow is disputing the suggestion that anthrax caused the deaths. There could be a long history of this, and we just haven't observed it till now. The addicts initially developed a painless, pus-free wound after injecting into muscles rather than veins. However, within hours they had died of symptoms including leakage of fluids around the heart and lungs and soaring white blood cell counts - indicating that the immune system was desperately battling a deadly invader.