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| United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases | |
|---|---|
 The USAMRIID logo | |
| Active | 1969–present |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Medical R&D Command |
| Role | Medical research and development |
| Part of | United States biological defense program |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Detrick,Maryland,United States 39°26′17″N77°25′24″W / 39.438°N 77.4234°W /39.438; -77.4234 |
| Motto | "Biodefense Solutions to Protect Our Nation" |
| Website | usamriid.health.mil |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Colonel Tracy J. Ostrom |
| Senior Enlisted Leader | SGM Emily L. Green |
TheUnited States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID;/juːˈsæmrɪd/) is theUnited States Army's main institution and facility for defensiveresearch into countermeasures againstbiological warfare. It is located onFort Detrick,Maryland, nearWashington, D.C., and is a subordinate lab of theUnited States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), headquartered on the same installation.
USAMRIID is the onlylaboratory of theUnited States Department of Defense (DoD) equipped to study highly hazardousviruses atBiosafety Level 4 withinpositive pressure personnel suits.
USAMRIID employs both military and civilian scientists as well as highly specialized support personnel, totaling around 800 people. In the 1950s and 1960s, USAMRIID and its predecessor unit pioneered unique,state-of-the-artbiocontainment facilities which it continues to maintain and upgrade. Investigators at its facilities frequently collaborate with theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, theWorld Health Organization, and major biomedical and academic centers worldwide.
USAMRIID was the first bio-facility of its type to research theAmes strain ofanthrax, determined throughgenetic analysis to be thebacterium used in the2001 anthrax attacks.[1][2]
USAMRIID's 1983 mission statement mandated that the Institute:
Develops strategies, products, information, procedures and training for medical defense against biological warfare agents and naturally occurring infectious agents of military importance that require special containment.
USAMRIID's current mission statement is:
To protect the Warfighter from biological threats and to be prepared to investigate disease outbreaks or threats to public health.
ByU.S. Department of Defense (DoD) directive, as well as additional U.S. Army guidance, USAMRIID performs its "biological agent medical defense" research in support of the needs of the three military services. This mission, and all work done at USAMRIID, must remain within the spirit and letter of both PresidentRichard Nixon's 1969 and 1970Executive Orders renouncing the use of biological and toxin weapons, and the U.N.Biological Weapons Convention of 1972.
USAMRIID traces its institutional lineage to the early 1950s, when Lt. Col.Abram S. Benenson was appointed as medical liaison officer to the U.S. ArmyBiological Warfare Laboratories (BWL) at Camp (later Fort) Detrick to oversee biomedical defensive problems. Soon thereafter, a joint agreement was signed and studies on medical defense against biological weapons were conducted cooperatively by theU.S. Army Chemical Corps and theArmy Medical Department. These early days saw the beginnings of the medical volunteer program known as "Project Whitecoat" (1954–1973). USAMRIID's precursor—theArmy Medical Unit (AMU)—began operations in 1956 under the command of Col.William D. Tigertt. (One of the AMU's first responsibilities was to oversee all aspects ofProject CD-22, the exposure of volunteers to aerosols containing a highly pathogenic strain ofCoxiella burnetii, the causal agent ofQ fever.)
In 1961, Col.Dan Crozier assumed command of the AMU. Modern principles ofbiosafety andbiocontainment were pioneered at Fort Detrick throughout the 1960s by a number of scientists led byArnold G. Wedum. Crozier oversaw the planning and construction of the present USAMRIID laboratory and office building (Building 1425) and its advancedbiocontainment suites, which is formally known as "The Crozier Building". Ground breaking came in 1967 (personnel moved in during 1971 and 1972). In 1969, the BWL were formally disestablished and the Institute underwent a formal name change from the AMU to the "U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases". The institute's mission did not really change and it received additional funding and personnel authorizations to hire biomedical and laboratory scientists who were losing their jobs as a result of the termination of the United States' offensive BW studies.
By the late 1970s, in addition to the work onCoxiella burnetii and otherrickettsiae, research priorities had expanded to include the development of vaccines and therapeutics againstArgentine,Korean andBolivian hemorrhagic fevers,Lassa fever and other exotic diseases that could pose potential BW threats. In 1978, the Institute assisted with humanitarian efforts in Egypt when a severe outbreak ofRift Valley fever (RVF) occurred there for the first time. The epidemic caused thousands of human cases and the deaths of large numbers of livestock. Diagnostics, along with much of the institute's stock of RVF vaccine, were sent to help control the outbreak. At this time the Institute acquired both fixed and transportable BSL-4 containment plastic human isolators for the hospital care and safe transport of patients suffering from highly contagious and potentially lethal exotic infections. In 1978, it established anAeromedical Isolation Team (AIT)—a militaryrapid response team of doctors, nurses and medics, with worldwide airlift capability, designed to safely evacuate and manage contagious patients under BSL-4 conditions. A formal agreement was signed with theCenters for Disease Control (CDC) at this time stipulating that USAMRIID would house and treat highly contagious infections in laboratory personnel should any occur. (After deploying on only four "real world" missions in 32 years, the AIT was ultimately decommissioned in 2010.)
The 1980s saw the establishment of a new program to improve the existing anthrax vaccine, and to develop new information on the pathophysiology of weaponized anthrax disease. This came in response to theSverdlovsk anthrax leak of 1979. Professional medical opinion differed at this period as to exactly what constituted a potential BW agent. A case in point was the establishment in 1980 of a new program focusing onLegionnaires' disease at the urging of some medical authorities. Almost a year later, a panel of experts decided that this organism did not have potential as a BW agent and the program was discontinued. Of greater longevity were the new research programs initiated at this time to study thetrichothecene fungal toxins,marine toxins and other small molecular weight toxins of microbial origin.
The early 1980s also saw the development at USAMRIID of new diagnostic methods for several pathogenic organisms such asELISA technology and the extensive use ofmonoclonal antibodies. The same year saw introduction of a new course, "Medical Defense Against Biological Agents", designed to familiarize military physicians, nurses and other medical personnel with the special problems potentially posed by medical management BW cases. This course, with some changes in format, continued into the 21st century as the "Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties Course" (MCBC), still conducted jointly by USAMRIID and theU.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD).
In 1985, GeneralMaxwell R. Thurman, then Army Deputy Chief of Staff, reviewed the threat posed to U.S. servicemembers by biological weapons. Thurman was particularly concerned about the application of genetic engineering technology to alter conventional microorganisms and his review resulted in a five-year plan of expansion for research into medical defensive measures at USAMRIID. The 1985 in-house budget of 34 M USD was to expand to 45 M the next year and was eventually scheduled to reach 93.2 M by 1989. (The need for a physical detection system to identify an aerosol of infectious agent became apparent at this time. The lack of such a reliable system still represents one of the major technical difficulties in the field.) Within two years, however, it became apparent that this program of expansion would not materialize. A new proposed toxin laboratory was never built. The Army had experienced several budget cuts and these impacted the funding of the institute.
By 1988, USAMRIID began to come under close scrutiny by several Congressional committees. The SenateSubcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, chaired by SenatorCarl Levin, issued a report quite critical in the DoD's management of biological safety issues in the CBW programs. SenatorJohn Glenn, chairman,Committee on Governmental Affairs asked theGovernment Accounting Office (GAO) to investigate the validity of DoD's Biological Defense Research Program. The GAO issued a critical report concluding that the Army spent funds on R&D efforts that did not address validated BW threats and may have duplicated the research efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and theNational Institutes of Health.
While investigating an outbreak ofsimian hemorrhagic fever (SHF) in 1989, USAMRIIDelectron microscopist Thomas Geisbert discoveredfiloviruses similar in appearance toEbola in tissue samples taken from acrab-eating macaque imported from thePhilippines to a facility operated by Hazleton Laboratories (nowFortrea) inReston, Virginia. USAMRIID's role in theReston virusoutbreak became the focus ofRichard Preston's bestselling 1995bookThe Hot Zone.
During the period ofDesert Shield andDesert Storm (1990–91) USAMRIID provided the DoD with expert advice and products (vaccines and drugs) to ensure an effective medical response if a medical defense were required. USAMRIID scientists trained and equipped six special laboratory teams for rapid identification of potential BW agents, which fortunately never appeared. Following the conflict, USAMRIID physicians and engineers were key members of aUnited Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) Inspection Team that evaluated the BW capabilities in Iraq during the 1990s.
In late 2001, USAMRIID became theFBI's reference lab for forensic evidence related to the bioterror incident known as "Amerithrax" in which anthrax-laden letters were sent through theUS Postal Service, killing 5 people and sickening 17 others. The response by USAMRIID as it interacted with the FBI,HHS,DOJ,CIA and theWhite House is detailed inRichard Preston's 2002 bookThe Demon in the Freezer.[3]
An inspection by USAMRMC, conducted seven months after the Amerithrax incidents, found that Suite B-3 in Building 1425 at the Institute not only was contaminated with anthrax in three locations but the bacteria had escaped from secure areas in the building to those that were unprotected. The report stated that, "safety procedures at the facility and in individual laboratories were lax and inadequately documented; that safety supervision sometimes was carried out by junior personnel with inadequate training or survey instruments; and that exposures of dangerous bacteria at the lab, including anthrax, had not been adequately reported."[4]
In August 2008, a USAMRIID scientist, Dr.Bruce Ivins, was identified as the lone Amerithrax culprit by the FBI. Ivins had allegedly expressed homicidal thoughts and exhibited mental instability before and after the attacks occurred. He had maintained his security clearance at the institute, and retained access to dangerous substances, until mid-July 2008, at the end of which month he committed suicide.[5] Also in August 2008,Secretary of the ArmyPete Geren ordered the creation of a team of medical and military experts to review security measures at the institute. The team is headed by atwo-star general, and will include representatives from USAMRMC, the Army'sSurgeon General, and Army operations.[6]U.S. RepresentativesJohn D. Dingell andBart Stupak have stated that they will lead investigations into security at the Institute as part of a review of all the nation's biodefense labs.[7]
Safety policies changed at USAMRIID following an incident in March 2010. A young microbiologist became trapped in the -30 freezer portion of 'Little Alaska.' Due to the corroded nature of the freezer door, the woman was trapped in the life-threatening conditions for over 40 minutes. She was eventually recovered and the incident was labelled as a near miss. USAMRIID instituted a mandatory '2 man freezer policy' and worked to keep both the quality of the door and the security in that surrounding area up to a higher standard.[8]
Groundbreaking occurred in August 2009 for a new, state-of-the-art, 835,000 square feet (78,000 m2) facility at Ft Detrick for USAMRIID. The building, being constructed by Manhattan Torcon Joint Venture under the supervision of the US Army Corps of Engineers, was projected for completion and partial occupation by 2015 or '16 and full occupation by 2017. This delay to the project delivery was in part due to a fire within the BSL4 laboratory area[9]
In August 2019, all research at USAMRIID was indefinitely put on hold after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited the organization for failing to meet biosafety standards.[10][11][12] In November 2019, limited research was resumed after infrastructure, training, compliance and biosafety standards had been improved.[13]
| COL Dan Crozier,MD | 1969 | 1973 |
| Brig. Gen. Kenneth R. Dirks | 1973 | |
| COL Joseph F. Metzger | 1973 | 1977 |
| COL Richard F. Barquist, MD | 1977 | 1983 |
| COL David L. Huxsoll, DVM, PhD | 1983 | 1990 |
| COL Charles L. Bailey, PhD | 1990 | |
| COL Ronald G. Williams | 1990 | 1992 |
| COL Ernest T. Takafuji, MD,MPH | 1992 | 1995 |
| COL David R. Franz, DVM | 1995 | 1998 |
| COL Gerald W. Parker, DVM, PhD, MS | 1998 | 2000 |
| COL Edward M. Eitzen Jr, MD, MPH | 2000 | 2002 |
| COL Erik A. Henchal, PhD | 2002 | 2005 |
| COL George W. Korch, PhD | 2005 | 2008 |
| COL John P. Skvorak, DVM, PhD | 2008 | 2011 |
| COL Bernard L. DeKoning, MD, FAAFP | 2011 | 2013 |
| COL Erin P. Edgar, MD | 2013 | 2015 |
| COL Thomas S. Bundt, MA, MHA, MBA, PhD | 2015 | 2017 |
| COL Gary A. Wheeler | 2017 | 2019 |
| COL E. Darrin Cox | 2019 | 2021 |
| COL Constance L. Jenkins | 2021 | 2023 |
| COL Aaron C. Pitney, MD,MSS | 2023 | 2025 |
| COL Tracy S. Ostrom | 2025 | Current |
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