"Surviving almost unmolested for 300 million years, the horseshoe crab is now the object of an intense legal and ethical struggle involving marine biologists, environmentalists, U.S. government officials, biotechnologists, and international corporations. The source of this friction is the discovery twenty-five years ago that the blood of these ancient creatures serves as the basis for the most reliable test for the deadly and ubiquitous gram-negative bacteria.

These bacteria are responsible for such life-threatening diseases as meningitis, typhoid, E. coli, Legionnaire's Disease, and toxic shock syndrome. Because every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using the horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate, a multimillion-dollar industry has emerged involving the license to "bleed" horseshoe crabs and access rights to their breeding grounds."--BOOK JACKET.