Suitability of Commercial Transport Media for Biological Pathogens under Nonideal Conditions

Abstract

There is extensive data to support the use of commercial transport media as a stabilizer for known clinical samples; however, there is little information to support their use outside of controlled conditions specified by the manufacturer. Furthermore, there is no data to determine the suitability of said media for biological pathogens, specifically those of interest to the US military. This study evaluates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) transport media based on sample recovery, viability, and quality of nucleic acids and peptides for nonpathogenic strains of Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, in addition to ricin toxin. Samples were stored in COTS, PBST, or no media at various temperatures over an extended test period. The results demonstrate that COTS media, although sufficient for the preservation of nucleic acid and proteinaceous material, are not capable of maintaining an accurate representation of biothreat agents at the time of collection.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA552824

Entities

People

  • Gregory Pellar
  • Kyle Hubbard
  • Peter Emanuel

Organizations

  • Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bacteria
  • Cell Line
  • Chemistry
  • Commercial Aircraft
  • Detection
  • Encephalitis
  • Equine Encephalitis
  • Materials
  • Microbiology
  • Microorganisms
  • Nucleic Acids
  • Pathogenic Bacteria
  • Proteins
  • Rna Viruses
  • Transport Ships
  • Viruses

Readers

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Immunology
  • Virology (or Medical Virology).

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology