The United States has already seen a biological attack by a cult, which the public health system failed to detect for more than a year. In 1984, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh group established a large commune near The Dalles, Oregon and wanted zoning changes that local residents opposed. Cult members deliberately contaminated several salad bars in The Dalles with salmonella bacteria, which causes stomach cramps, diarrhea and dizziness. As described in Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War (Simon and Schuster, 2001) by Judith Miller, Steven Engelberg and William J. Broad, cult members hoped to incapacitate voters in the zoning dispute. The 125-bed local hospital was overwhelmed with patients; some were kept in corridors. Almost a thousand people became ill; 751 were confirmed to have salmonella infection, but fortunately no one died. Despite a thorough investigation at the time by CDC, no source for the bacteria was found. A year later, a dispute within the cult and an investigation of immigration violations revealed that the group had acquired several dangerous pathogens and had spread Salmonella typhimurium onto salad bars.