Within three hours of that, he was suffering from pounding headaches. Within six hours, he had flulike muscle aches and trouble with his memory. And by the next morning, he had about 30 dime-sized lesions on his lower extremities. Dr. Shoemaker has counted some 60 similarly afflicted patients since that summer day. All were exposed to Chesapeake Bay waterways and to a mysterious microbe called Pfiesteria piscicida.
Scientists say it feeds off the heavy load of nutrients contained in waste runoff.
Although no permanent damage has been reported by people infected with the organism, the area's fish have not been so lucky. But what began a year ago as the scenario for an apocalyptic disaster movie has since shifted into the realm of political theater. Scientists believe the outbreak originated from chicken manure runoff from rain-soaked farmlands. Now conservationists, the Senate Agriculture Committee, the EPA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are embroiled in a dispute over who should police the handling of farm waste. The bill calls on the EPA and USDA to work together to come up with regulations for handling waste.