Evaluation of a wipe surface sample method for collection of Bacillus spores from nonporous surfaces.
Polyester-rayon blend wipes were evaluated for efficiency of extraction and recovery of powdered Bacillus atrophaeus spores from stainless steel and painted wallboard surfaces. Method limits of detection were also estimated for both surfaces. The observed mean efficiency of polyester-rayon blend wipe recovery from stainless steel was 0.35 with a standard deviation of +/-0.12, and for painted wallboard it was 0.29 with a standard deviation of +/-0.15. Evaluation of a sonication extraction method for the polyester-rayon blend wipes produced a mean extraction efficiency of 0.93 with a standard deviation of +/-0.09. Wipe recovery quantitative limits of detection were estimated at 90 CFU per unit of stainless steel sample area and 105 CFU per unit of painted wallboard sample area. The method recovery efficiency and limits of detection established in this work provide useful guidance for the planning of incident response environmental sampling following the release of a biological agent such as Bacillus anthracis.
Brown
Gary S
GS
Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, MS0734, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA. gbrown@sandia.gov
Betty
Rita G
RG
Brockmann
John E
JE
Lucero
Daniel A
DA
Souza
Caroline A
CA
Walsh
Kathryn S
KS
Boucher
Raymond M
RM
Tezak
Mathew
M
Wilson
Mollye C
MC
Rudolph
Todd
T
D000881:Anthrax / Q000517:prevention & control; D001407:Bacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D002482:Cellulose; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000382:microbiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D011091:Polyesters; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013193:Stainless Steel
D011091:Polyesters; D013193:Stainless Steel; D002482:Cellulose; C012024:rayon, purified