Bacillus spore inactivation methods affect detection assays.
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.
Dang
J L
JL
Geo-Centers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland 20706, USA. jessica.dang@sbccom.apgea.army.mil
Heroux
K
K
Kearney
J
J
Arasteh
A
A
Gostomski
M
M
Emanuel
P A
PA
D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D019914:Taq Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism
D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D003470:Culture Media; D019914:Taq Polymerase