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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2001, p. 3665-3670, Vol. 67, No. 8
Geo-Centers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland
207061; Department of Microbiology,
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
352942; and Research and Technology Directorate,
U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving
Ground, Maryland 210103
Received 12 January 2001/Accepted 25 May 2001
Detection of biological weapons is a primary concern in
force protection, treaty verification, and safeguarding
civilian populations against domestic terrorism. One great concern is
the detection of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of
anthrax. Assays for detection in the laboratory often employ
inactivated preparations of spores or nonpathogenic simulants. This
study uses several common biodetection platforms to detect B. anthracis spores that have been inactivated by two methods and
compares those data to detection of spores that have not been
inactivated. The data demonstrate that inactivation methods can affect
the sensitivity of nucleic acid- and antibody-based assays for the
detection of B. anthracis spores. These effects should be
taken into consideration when comparing laboratory results to data
collected and assayed during field deployment.
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.8.3665-3670.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Bacillus Spore Inactivation Methods
Affect Detection Assays
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Geo-Centers,
Inc., Gunpowder Branch, P.O. Box 68, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010. Phone: (410) 436-8765. Fax: (410) 436-1912. E-mail:
jessica.dang{at}sbccom.apgea.army.mil.
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