Recent Mad-Cow Incident Directs Focus to Protecting Food Sources and Agriterrorism

Homelanddefensestocks.com, a global investment research portal for the Homeland Defense and Security Sector updates investors on the Agriterrorism segment of Homeland Security and what is currently being done to secure and protect food sources.

Point Roberts, WA (PRWEB) December 31, 2003 --Homelanddefensestocks.com, a global investment research portal for the Homeland Defense and Security Sector updates investors on the Agriterrorism segment of Homeland Security and what is currently being done to secure and protect food sources. Additionally, the site reviews Biotech stocks that have realized gains in share price due to the recent outbreak of Mad-Cow Disease.

Homelanddefensestock.com includes a growing list of public companies in the sector. The following is a partial list of companies involved in security technology and solutions: www.investorideas.com/Companies/HomelandDefense/Articles/StockList.asp
The site does not make recommendations, but offers a unique information portal to investors to research news, articles, and recent research. The site is compensated by featured company Markland Technologies. New information is being compiled on Agriterrorism at: www.investorideas.com/Companies/HomelandDefense/News/Agriterrorism.asp.

What is Agriterrorism?
Agriterrorism is the malicious use of plant or animal pathogens to cause devastating disease in the agricultural sector. It may also take the form of hoaxes and threats intended to create public fear of such events.
Source: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/onp/toolkit_app_e.pdf

Stocks on the Run...Mad-Cow Disease
Neogen Corp (NEOG) - develops a line of products in food safety testing and animal health applications. The company developed the first rapid immunoassay test kits to detect ruminant by-products in animal feed ingredients and finished feed. The Agri-Screen tests were designed to help prevent ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) from being fed rendered materials containing ruminant by-products in an effort to prevent the spread of BSE ("mad-cow" disease) from animal to animal. Other related stocks that have experienced price gains include DOC, EMRG, VITX, SDIX and BIO. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc (BIO) - shares spike up over $10 on December 24th, 2003 on news of Mad-Cow outbreak. Bio-Rad is the leading provider of tests for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, (mad-cow disease).

Potential Diseases in Agriterrorism:
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a viral disease of animals that eat off the ground. Secretions of the infected animals spread it easily. Sores like canker sores spread throughout the animals mouth, making eating and drinking painful and avoided. Similar lesions appear on the feet. Young animals die; most adult animals survive and spread the virus.

There is no treatment available for the disease and the vaccines are not usually used in commercial animal programs. Generally, the affected farms must be quarantined and the infected animals destroyed. There is a vaccine, but vaccinated animals cannot usually be exported. Rinderpest is a viral illness that causes a fever, discharge around the eyes, nose and mouth, frothy saliva, constipation then diarrhea. The animal dies in a few days. Mortality is as high as 90 percent. This disease is found in Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen, among others. It is preventable by vaccination. Hog cholera, aka swine fever (not swine flu) is a viral illness of pigs. It causes high fever, hemorrhages, convulsions and death at a very high rate. Those that survive do not grow well and abort frequently.
Source: http://content.siouxlandbusinessjournal.com/Oct02/agriterrrorism.html

Featured article on Homelanddefensestocks.com:
Bioterror in the Heartland: Confronting the Specter of Agriterrorism
http://www.investorideas.com/Companies/HomelandDefense/Articles/BarryZellenBioterror.asp

Featured Homelanddefensestocks.com Company:
Markland Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: MRKL) is positioned in the homeland security technology sector with integrated security solutions for border and port security, cargo container security and explosives detection. The Company has procured border security contracts with the DHS and is currently completing acquisitions in the sector to compliment its technology portfolio.

About Homelanddefensestocks.com: The global investment portal features news, research, homeland security links, featured and exclusive articles and companies participating in security technology solutions. Areas include:
Airport Security, Biodefense, Biometrics, Defense, Internet Security, Integrated Security, Military, Border and Port Security. Homelanddefensestocks.com is a unique top ranked investor research portal on Yahoo and Google that provides original content as well as third party content.

For more information contact:

Dawn Van Zant / Trevor Ruehs

Toll free:    800-665-0411
Email:      dvanzant@investorideas.com or truehs@investorideas.com

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