1. Autonomous detection of aerosolized Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis.
- Author
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McBride MT, Masquelier D, Hindson BJ, Makarewicz AJ, Brown S, Burris K, Metz T, Langlois RG, Tsang KW, Bryan R, Anderson DA, Venkateswaran KS, Milanovich FP, and Colston BW Jr
- Subjects
- Antibodies, Bacterial immunology, Bacillus anthracis immunology, Bacillus subtilis immunology, Bioterrorism prevention & control, Cross Reactions immunology, Flow Cytometry instrumentation, Fluorescent Dyes analysis, Fluorescent Dyes chemistry, Humans, Immunoassay methods, Microbiological Techniques methods, Microfluidics, Microspheres, Phycoerythrin analysis, Phycoerythrin chemistry, Reproducibility of Results, Spores, Bacterial immunology, Spores, Bacterial isolation & purification, Yersinia pestis immunology, Aerosols analysis, Bacillus anthracis isolation & purification, Immunoassay instrumentation, Yersinia pestis isolation & purification
- Abstract
We have developed and tested a fully autonomous pathogen detection system (APDS) capable of continuously monitoring the environment for airborne biological threat agents. The system is designed to provide early warning to civilians in the event of a terrorist attack. The final APDS will be completely automated, offering aerosol sampling, in-line sample preparation fluidics, multiplexed detection and identification immunoassays, and orthogonal, multiplexed PCR (nucleic acid) amplification and detection. The system performance (current capabilities include aerosol collection, multiplexed immunoassays, sample archiving, data reporting, and alarming) was evaluated in a field test conducted in a Biosafety Level 3 facility, where the system was challenged with, and detected, a series of aerosolized releases containing two live, virulent biological threat agents (Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis). Results presented here represent the first autonomous, simultaneous measurement of these agents.
- Published
- 2003
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