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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2001, p. 3665-3670, Vol. 67, No. 8
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

Jessica L. Dang,1,* Karen Heroux,1 John Kearney,2 Ameneh Arasteh,3 Mark Gostomski,3 and Peter A. Emanuel3

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.

* 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.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2001, p. 3665-3670, Vol. 67, No. 8
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.8.3665-3670.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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