Jahrling Timeline

Jahrling flew to Montpeiller (France) for 13th International Poxvirus Symposium, filled w/poxvirus experts

naturally resistant to mousepox/some vaccinated,engineered virus killed 100% naturally resistant and 60% immunized; scientists added single foreign gene (IL-4) to natural mousepox virus which produces interleukin-4 acting as a signal in immune system; putting gene in created superlethal vaccine-resistant pox; one could probably be made for men

ran into Richard Moyer (American, chairman of Dept. of Molecular Genetics @ U of FL) and they stepped aside to talk

Moyer stops talking when sees poster by Australian govt. researchers from Co-operative Research Centre for Biological Control of Pest Animals, using viruses to cut back population of mice; Ronald J. Jackson was lead scientist, using mousepox (closely related to smallpox) which can't infect humans but is lethal to mice; injecting mice w/engineered virus to sterilize them but it wiped out the mice instead

Ron Jackson and Ian Ramshaw talked w/Frank Fenner about inserting the IL-4 human gene into smallpox, he told them to publish it; might not work as it did w/mousepox, thought wouldn't be useful as biological weapon - kill too many people too fast, needed to be tested on humans to be sure it worked

Jackson-Ramshaw paper published, wanted to remind biologists problem of genetic engineering didn't exist and to start dealing with it; engineering technique became available worldwide on Internet; Jackson-Ramshaw experiment provoked uneasy reactions in American Intelligence Community

U.S. Army given permission by CDC officials to try a 2nd experiment to create a monkey model of smallpox; Jahrling put Hensley in charge of experiment

8:00 P.M. Jahrling packing suitcase, put daughter to bed, in Atlanta by midnight

Peter Jahrling, John Huggins, Lisa Hensley, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Martinez (Army veterinary pathologist), James Stockman (animal caretaker), Joshua Shamblin and Sergeant Rafael Herrera (veterinary technicians)

gave monkey C099 (more inquisitive / confident / larger) telazol (anesthetic), Loise Pitt (head of Monkey Cabinet) loads liquid into a device to make a mist in aerosol cabinet, placed monkey in chamber; start blower, Harper smallpox blown around monkey's head, inhaled 100 mil. particles, monkey also given 1 bil. infective particles in bloodstream; needle put into biohazard container, repeat process 3 more times w.3 more monkeys

8:00 A.M. Huggins retrieved Smallpox Key and opens freezer, removes 5 vials containing smallpox seeds, returns key, puts seeds in water @ 98.6 degrees F (temp of blood); Jahrling enters, goes to check on Hensley; Huggins removes seed vials, seeds melted to pink/milky substance, strain called Harper; sucked up Harber and put it into 4 syringes (feeling nervous, felt the danger of syringes), loaded additional 4 vials w/Harper seed liquid, carried it all into animal room

inoculate 4 more monkeys but w/Dumbell 7124 strain of smallpox (India strain); used a higher dose than original experiment and put it into bloodstream; kept monkeys under observation not knowing what to expect, if became sick no one knew what it would look like

8 monkeys exposed to smallpox, no outward signs of illness; C099 gentler than others, gave him treats; every day gave monkeys anesthetics to examine them and take blood samples, Hensley tested them to try to find any changes; on day 2 she found smallpox DNA in blood, virus growing

Jahrling and Huggins leave for Maryland after monkeys inoculated, left Hensley in charge assisted by Martinez, Stockman and Shamblin supported them and team fell into routine

dead monkeys hunched up and covered w/spotty, starlike red spots all over skin and tiny pinpoint hemorrhages dense across eyelids/flanks/inner thighs - flat rash, no pustules; 2 dead monkeys had India, 1st time any strain fatal to species besides humans

people calling from CDC, Jahrling and Huggins kept calling from Fort Detrick, Pierre Rollin volunteered to help and brought compounds to help prepare tissues for electron microscope

Hensley went to necropsy w/out checking on other monkeys, Martinez already started when she arrived; abdominal cavity wide and puddled w/free hemorrhages, hemmorhagic spots covering internal organs (especially intestines); Martines began filling bags w/samples of organs very quickly, stomach bloody, lungs bloody and speckled by hemorrhage, liver and spleen mostly dead,took hours; finished 2nd at 3:00 P.M., went back to find 3rd monkey dead (1st of Harper) and continued on w/3rd necropsy until around 8:00 P.M.

Martinez poked them w/pole to make sure they were dead - C171 in rigor mortis, wanted to do posts, fast, eyes normal w/out signs of blood; decided to do necropsy on C115 (heavier), brought him into room and closed door behind (prohibited to perform necropsy in front of animals of same species)

day 4 of exposure for Harper, day 3 for India; just before 8:00 A.M. phone in hallway rings - Hensley answers, it was Stockman in MCL West - 2 monkeys dead and one on the way

C099 had small pimples across thighs, found pustules on palate and inside lips; developed classical ordinary smallpox; as putstules enlarged and spread found dimples in them (centrifugal smallpox rash like humans); pustules clumped around extremities, scientists felt sorry for him and named him Harper; had 150 pustules, not dying - experiencing agony of human heritage

obviously sicker,pustules erupted on hands; becoming dehydrated since he could barely swallow, Stockman bought him grape Pedialyte,Martinez brought him fruit from breakfast bar

Harper went semiconfluent across face, began to reach stage of early crust (most dangerous, cytokine goes out of control); crusted, put whole red grape into mouth, seemed better

Hensley had been phoning Jahrling and team sent him pics of Harper's face; brought pics to meeting in Washington for National Academy of Sciences, ran into D.A. Henderson, showed him pics, Henderson said it looked like smallpox, Jahrling told him it was, Henderson walked away (says it never happened)

Harper scabbed over and health returned; kept feeding him treats, knew he couldn't live by regulation; on day he was to be executed Stockman and Shamblin said they had to fly home; team visited him that night and left him more food than he could eat, had no scars (healed almost completely); Hensley and Martinex put him to sleep next morning, gave him anesthetic, didn't know difference, Martinez placed him on table and watched him go, Hensley turned away

of 8 monkeys given Harper or India 6 died of hemorrhagic smallpox, 1 of classical smallpox, Harper survived; next round they infected 6 animals, 5 died, 1 of pustular, 1 had red eyes of human blackpox victims; 3rd round infected 9 monkeys and lowered dose, none got sick at all; overall successful, next step is to try to cure monkeys w/antiviral drug cidofovir

9:00 A.M. Stockman checking monkeys, Inger Damon taking care of equipment, Rafael Herrera working in his suit listening to radio, Martinez doing necropsy; Herrera came in and told Martinez plane crashed into World Trade Center (WTC), later comes back to say another crashed into WTC and in PA headed for Pentagon; Martinez kept working, everyone told to evacuate, possible target of attack; locked smallpox frezzer, couldn't do anything to dead monkey on table, all shared showers; told to leave MCL immediately, stopped shower, left building