An edition of Crab Wars (2002)
Crab Wars
A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Bioterrorism, and Human Health
By William Sargent
Publish Date
September 1, 2002
Publisher
University Press of New England
Language
eng
Pages
172
Description:
"Surviving almost unmolested for 300 million years, the horseshoe crab is now the object of an intense legal and ethical struggle involving marine biologists, environmentalists, U.S. government officials, biotechnologists, and international corporations. The source of this friction is the discovery twenty-five years ago that the blood of these ancient creatures serves as the basis for the most reliable test for the deadly and ubiquitous gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for such life-threatening diseases as meningitis, typhoid, E. coli, Legionnaire's Disease, and toxic shock syndrome. Because every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using the horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate, a multimillion-dollar industry has emerged involving the license to "bleed" horseshoe crabs and access rights to their breeding grounds."--BOOK JACKET.