A big screw you ...

... to Dr. Mona Melhem for destroying a quarter century of Legionella samples

Also scheduled to appear is Dr. Mona Melhem, who supervises the clinical activities at the Pittsburgh facility. According to the committee, Melhem gave the orders leading to the destruction of the material collected by Yu and Stout.

According to the report, the order to destroy the material came after a dispute over how Yu was financing his research that led to the shuttering of his laboratory in July 2006, and his firing for refusing to stop processing samples. Stout had been placed on administrative leave and faced removal action.

Yeah Melhem, you may have won the battle in your little pissing match with Yu and Stout ... but hopefully you've lost the war. If you were pissed at Drs. Yu and Stout that's one thing ... but to destroy a 25 yr+ culture collection, which could benefit the entire scientific community, is nothing but negligible and asinine. I hope you get your ass handed to you, you dumb twit.

But it gets worse. Much worse.

According to a report from the House Science and Technology Committee's Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee, Melhem told investigators she ordered staff to toss the samples into biohazard containers, which were removed from the Special Pathogens Laboratory in Oakland and disposed of in December 2006.

She said she issued the order because she had "committed" herself by incorrectly stating in an e-mail that the samples had been destroyed, according to the report.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. Has Melhem ever heard of recalling an email? It was just a freaking email for crying out loud! She should have been thankful it was just an email ... instead of saying "Oh well, guess I need to go and destroy 4,000+ samples now." she should have been saying "Whew, that was a close one. Good thing I didn't actually destroy those 4,000+ samples and screw the entire Legionella microbiological field."

Jimminy, some people are just totally stupid. Melhem is one of them.