Feature: MSU Poised to Help Homeland Security

            MSU scientists and researchers play an important role in solving many of the nation’s problems, including the threat of  bioterrorism.

            In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, our national attention turned to the threat of terrorism, including bioterrorism.  Pathogenic microorganisms could be used by terrorists to create biological weapons, but these organisms are perfectly capable of wreaking havoc all by themselves. 

MANY AMERICANS ARE UNAWARE OF THE DANGER

            “Over the last two decades, we have entered into an unprecedented era of infectious diseases,” said Lonnie King, dean of MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  “More than 30 emerging or re-emerging diseases have either produced epidemics or serious health problems.”

            Of these 30 diseases, 75 percent are zoonotic – that is, they are transmitted to people either directly or indirectly through animals and their products.  West Nile virus,  tuberculosis, hanta virus, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow” disease) and foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella Typhimurium DT-104 and E. coli O157:H7 are examples of diseases or disease agents that occur in animals and have the potential to threaten human health. 

            Cases in animals are often the first warning that human cases may soon follow and a signal to take the appropriate measures to protect the human population. 

            “Today, millions travel worldwide, billions of people inhabit the planet, billions of animals are interacting, and trillions of tons of cargo are shipped globally,” said King.  “We can circumnavigate the globe in less time than the incubation period of most infectious agents. 

            “This phenomenon is creating a great melting pot of microbes and new hosts and the emergence of new pathogens that will impact societies, economies, political structures, and health systems at levels and in ways we’ve never experienced.”

            Add to that the threat of intentionally released organisms.

            According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the diseases that constitute the greatest bioterrorism threat are smallpox, anthrax, plague, tularemia, botulism, and hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola and Marburg).  All but smallpox are zoonotic diseases. 

            “Animal and human health are clearly interrelated,” King said.  “The ability to diagnose, detect, prevent, and understand these zoonotic agents is a critical security issue.” 

            Two MSU units are poised to play major roles in protecting animal and human health:  the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (formerly called the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory) and the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center. 

DIAGNOSTIC CENTER FOR POPULATION AND ANIMAL HEALTH

           The current center was established in the College of Veterinary Medicine in the mid-1970s during a crisis when PBB, a fire retardant chemical, was accidentally mixed and fed to thousands of livestock.  Since that time, the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health has become one of the country’s busiest and premier diagnostic laboratories.  It now runs over 1 million diagnostic tests a year and receives over 500 new requests for services daily. 

            The center serves the state’s 5.1 million companion animals, 170,000 horses, a livestock industry that generates $1.3 billion annual revenue, and immense wildlife resources.  Livestock and wildlife together play an important role in Michigan’s economy, generating $4 billion in direct economic activity and at least $2 billion in indirect activity annually.

            “The diagnostic center helps protect this significant economic activity for the state,” King said.  “You only have to look at what happened to the United Kingdom during the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak to imagine the economic consequences of something like that happening here.”

            As for the diseases that affect both animals and people, “We have learned that the most effective action in the battle against infectious diseases, whether naturally occurring or intentionally introduced, is a strong surveillance system,” King said.  “We also understand that our best protection is to know what is coming and have effective integrated response teams.  The diagnostic center is absolutely pivotal to these strategies.

            “The next epidemic of human disease or bioterrorism is just as likely to be detected by a veterinary practitioner or in our animal diagnostic lab, as by physicians in human hospitals.” 

            In the Fall of 2003, the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health will move into a new state-funded $58 million complex aimed at improving Michigan’s ability to detect threats to animal and human populations.

            The new building, located on MSU’s south end, will consolidate ten labs currently located in three buildings. 

NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY & TOXICOLOGY CENTER

            The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that an estimated 76 million illnesses, 5,000 deaths and 325,000 food safety-related hospitalizations occur in this country each year.  Those numbers mean that one out of every four Americans is affected by food-borne illness each year. 

            In Michigan, the number of the state’s citizens reporting food-related illnesses has increased each year since 1997, according to the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture.  Add to this the uncertain numbers of chronic diseases caused by natural toxins and contaminants in food, and we see the immensity of the problem.

            Moreover, 81 percent of the 76 million cases are of unknown origin, meaning we don’t know what the agents are, says Ewen Todd, NFSTC director.

            “Those large numbers and the uncertainty factor are calling out for more research, which is what we do at the NFSTC,” says Todd. “The NFSTC is committed to reducing food-borne disease and ensuring a safe supply of food for consumers through research, education and outreach.”

            If this is going on every year, imagine the impact of an additional burden of deliberate contamination of our food supply, both domestic and imported. This sobering thought was recognized nationally by the inclusion of several key food safety components in the 2002 Farm Bill and the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act of 2002.

            The NFSTC was created to provide long- and short-term solutions for food-borne problems. To accomplish this goal, the Center has faculty and staff with expertise in pre-harvest food safety, epidemiology, toxicology, microbiology, food law, risk assessment and communications, sociology, education and outreach and policy development.  Faculty work in many areas along the food chain and with collaborators from government, industry and other universities.  In addition to its primary role, the center provides a supporting role for many other MSU centers and statewide initiatives such as the Life Sciences Corridor.  Such breadth allows the center to broker expert research and policy groups to address a wide variety of issues that involve food safety.

            Bioterrorism is another area that the center is tackling, and more research could be done. “There are obvious concerns for our food supply such as terrorist attacks, an act of a disgruntled employee, and the monitoring of imported foods,” Todd says.

            The center proposes coordinating existing food biosecurity resources to help reduce risks related to bioterrorist threats through:

• Adapting research to include methods for quickly detecting adulterants (such as pathogens or toxins) in food.
• Improving syndromic surveillance systems (RUsick2 Forum). The web forum is the first of its kind in the nation and can be accessed at www.Rusick2.msu.edu.
• Enhancing networking, particularly through the Michigan Homeland Security Task Force and existing state and federal agencies.
• Developing improved systems in conjunction with industry for food security. One example is the NFSTC’s support and organization of the First World Congress on Food Irradiation, which is planned for May 5-7, 2003, in Chicago. This first-ever international congress on this approved food technology will provide industry solutions for decreasing the risk of food-borne disease.
• Improving food safety education, such as the online Professional Master of Science (proMS) in Food Safety Program – also the first of its kind.   Visit www.foodsafe.msu.edu/proms/.

Author’s Note: Linda Chadderdon is the information officer for the College of Veterinary Medicine.  Pattie McNiel is distant learning program coordinator for the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center.  Kirsten Khire is the communications director for the NFSTC.

MSU’S GLOBAL COMMUNITY SECURITY INSTITUTE

            MSU is coordinating university-wide resources that MSU researchers and educators can contribute to the nation’s homeland security system. This effort has been named the Global Community Security Institute at Michigan State University.

            MSU’s top-ranked School of Criminal Justice has long been providing training of first responders.  Many central programs have been developed for online delivery, offered through MSU Global Online Connection, the distance learning academic business unit that provides programs to professionals.

            Whether the threat be radiation, chemical, biological, or weapons of mass destruction, MSU’s leading programs in the detection of these, combined with the university’s expertise in remote sensing, geographic information science (GIS), engineering, cybersecurity, and human and veterinary medicine, enable MSU to assist in identifying potential threats and addressing those that materialize.