Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense最新文献

{"title":"Development of three real-time PCR assays to detect Bacillus anthracis and assessment of diagnostic utility.","authors":"Tanya M. Parsons, V. Cox, Angela E. Essex-Lopresti, M. G. Hartley, R. Lukaszewski, P. A. Rachwal, H. Stapleton, S. Weller","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S3-009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S3-009","url":null,"abstract":"Three real-time PCR assays to detect Bacillus anthracis genetic targets (pXO1; pXO2 and chromosome) were developed. Two of the PCR assays (pXO1-MGB and Ba chr-MGB) were tested against DNA extracts produced from whole blood samples obtained from a replicated B. anthracis murine infection model. Across all three models 45 samples were tested in total, within which a subset of 41 samples were shown to contain B. anthracis by either PCR or microbiological culture. Using microbiological culture as an analogue of conventional blood culture (as used in clinical settings) the detection rates of PCR and blood culture were compared. In two of the murine models blood culture had a significantly higher detection rate than PCR (BA1, p=0.004; BA3, p=0.013). In the BA2 model there was no significant difference between the detection rates of PCR and blood culture.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81315683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacteriophages against biothreat bacteria: diagnostic, environmental and therapeutic applications.","authors":"A. Filippov, Kirill V. Sergueev, M. Nikolich","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S3-010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S3-010","url":null,"abstract":"Plague, anthrax and brucellosis are severe bacterial infections presenting a serious threat to public health. Their causative agents can be weaponized and a number of drug-resistant strains have been described. This requires improvement of existing and development of new methods of diagnostics, strain characterization, prophylaxis and therapy of these infections. This review article focuses on lytic bacteriophages (phages) active against Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis and Brucella including the uses of phages for diagnostics, strain typing, specific decontamination, and antibacterial therapy.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84595029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circulation of Multidrug Resistant Pathogens between Developed and Developing Countries: A New Frontier of Biodefense. Implication for Policy Makers","authors":"G. Ceccarelli, C. Ceccarelli, L. Pacifici","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.1000E109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.1000E109","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"5 1","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84918023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Immunization with DNA Vaccine Expressing Gn Coupled to C3d Prevents Clinical Symptoms of Infection and Protects Mice against an Aerosol Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection.","authors":"N. Bhardwaj, Brooke R. Pierce, T. Ross","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S3-006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S3-006","url":null,"abstract":"Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is the causative agent of Rift Valley fever (RVF) and is an emerging infectious disease of zoonotic potential. However, aerosolization of RVFV has been proposed as a potential bioweapon and most vaccines have not been tested against aerosolized RVFV challenge. Previously, two vaccine platforms (DNA plasmids and alphavirus replicons) expressing a soluble form of the RVFV Gn glycoprotein alone or fused to three copies of complement protein, C3d, protected mice against an intraperitoneal (IP) RVFV infection. In this study, both vaccine candidates were used to determine the protective efficacy against an aerosolized RVFV challenge. Each vaccine was administered to mice alone or in a heterologous prime/replicon boost strategy and anti-RVFV immune responses were assessed. DNA plasmids expressing Gn-C3d and alphavirus replicons expressing Gn elicited high titer neutralizing antibodies that were similar to titers elicited by the live-attenuated MP12 virus. However, only Gn-C3d- DNA vaccine completely protected mice against virulent aerosolized RVFV challenge. Most mice receiving replicon based vaccines succumbed to RVFV infection. Surprisingly, even though live-attenuated MP12 vaccine protected mice against IP challenge, MP12 did not provide complete protection against aerosolized RVFV infection. Therefore, vaccine candidates that are effective against peripheral challenge should be tested against aerosolized challenge to determine the complete protection profile, since any bioterrorism attack using RVFV would most likely be in the form of an aerosol.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84114977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evidence for the Source of the 2001 Attack Anthrax","authors":"M. Hugh-Jones, B. H. Rosenberg, Stuart Jacobsen","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S3-008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S3-008","url":null,"abstract":"The elemental composition of the 2001 attack anthrax presents critical clues that were not considered or were misinterpreted throughout the original investigation. Extensive experimental data released by the FBI after the anthrax case was closed make it possible to trace some of the implications of these clues: the substantial presence of tin, a toxic material that must have been added subsequent to growth, and a uniquely high content of silicon in the attack spores. No Bacillus spore preparations other than the attack anthrax have ever been found to contain such a high level of silicon, although some surrogate spore powders prepared at Dugway following FBI instructions have been cited as evidence that high levels of silicon can be reproduced; however, examination of the experimental data reveals that the silicon in these samples was unquestionably an artifact. The elemental evidence suggests that the attack spores had been coated with silicone (a polysiloxane) in the presence of tin, which catalyzes the cross-linking of polysiloxane chains needed to form an encapsulating coating on the spore coat. Microencapsulation helps protect biological agents from damage during atmospheric exposure and from the body’s defenses during infection, and would defeat some detection methods. Microencapsulation, which would explain the location and amounts of both tin and silicon in the attack spores, requires special expertise and sophisticated facilities. DOD-sponsored projects explicitly involving microencapsulation at DARPA, Dugway and perhaps elsewhere were spelled out publicly in budget documents in 1999 and thereafter, and executed at the very time of the anthrax attacks. Both the Dugway laboratory and Battelle Memorial Institute, a sub-contractor at Dugway, had extensive experience in making Bacillus spore powders; both had access to Bacillus anthracis genetically matching the attack spores; both could have made the attack spores legally for institutions conducting biodefense activities that required microencapsulated spores. Furthermore, a small but significant amount of tin, about 4% of that in the attack spores, has been found in some surrogate spore products made at Dugway. A measureable tin content has not been found in any other Bacillus spores except the attack spores. The tin in the Dugway surrogates may have been a remnant, indicative of earlier, classified work. Avoidance of governmentsponsored, classified research may account for some of the limitations of the investigation.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"55 1","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77439589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Need for Emphasis on Local Leadership in Emergency Management","authors":"G. Avery","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S5-E001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S5-E001","url":null,"abstract":"ISSN:2157-2526 JBTBD, an open access journal J Bioterr Biodef Bioterrorism: Disaster preparedness education and public health In 2009, I participated in the Joint Urban Warrior exercise sponsored by the Marine Corps War fighting Laboratory and the Joint Forces Command-Joint Irregular Warfare Center, focusing on the problem of integrating military and civilian efforts in stability operations. In my analytical cell, the question arose as to where the necessary expertise could be found in civilian agencies, and in our discussions, it quickly became apparent that, for the most part, the applied skills were found not in federal civilian agencies, but in state and local government agencies. Besides representing a lesson lost within the military Civil Affairs community (in the Second World War Civil Affairs and Military Government soldiers were largely recruited from academia and sub-national government officials), but also an important cue that even in national security areas, the federal government may not always know best. A state extension officer, for example, may well know more about practical aspects of crop production than a federal USDA expert in agricultural price supports. In areas like biodefense or emergency preparedness, intricately entwined with public health, local officials are also likely to be the key players in effective incident response.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80296284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accelerated manufacturing of large-scale, full-length, human-like glycosylated antibodies for bio-defense.","authors":"Christopher M. Warner, M. Croughan","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.1000122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.1000122","url":null,"abstract":"From the point of DNA sequence confirmation until production of meaningful clinical quantities of novel therapeutics, current manufacturing systems for many glycosylated proteins require several months of development. Consequently, in the event of mass-casualty epidemics, current systems will fail to provide sufficient and timely quantities of emergency medical counter measures. As the identity of many new biological threats are unlikely to be known in advance, pre-emptive manufacturing and stockpiling of countermeasures cannot always be performed. Preparedness for all biological catastrophes requires a radical solution to replace the current slow scale-up and manufacture of certain lifesaving medical countermeasures. Current clinical and commercial manufacturing methods for glycosylated proteins use stable cell lines for protein expression, wherein the gene coding for the protein of interest is stably integrated into the host cell genome. The generation, identification, banking, testing, and scale-up of suitable stable clones generally takes many months. Because this development time is not compatible with emergency manufacturing, an alternative method for rapid production of medical counter measure antibodies is needed. One such potential technique is transient gene expression. Transient gene expression is a common approach for production of research-grade antibodies. It is frequently used to generate milligram to gram quantities of material within two to three weeks of DNA sequence confirmation. In the past, transient systems have been considered for emergency production of large quantities of antibodies, but dismissed due to low titers, high cost of DNA, uncertain regulatory environment, and the lack of sufficient, available manufacturing capacity. Recent developments, however, have substantially enhanced the viability of such an approach. This article will explore these developments and investigate the use of transient gene expression for rapid production of antibody-based medical countermeasures.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81581647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Allergic Examination for Biodefense","authors":"N. Oiso","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.1000E108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.1000E108","url":null,"abstract":"Until now, various case reports and case series of allergic sensitization from novel ingredients in new industrial and consumer products have been reported. The scientific reports have been prompting the manufacturers to eliminate sensitizers provoking frequent allergic reaction and/or severe clinical symptom from products. The adequate cycle provides better situation for people living in the world. We need to keep in mind that more victims may be sensitized if decision to eliminate the hazardous components is delayed.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"10 1","pages":"1-1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75055466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lack of Adequate Surveillance of Biological Threats is a Peril to Global Public Health","authors":"Mingtao Zeng, Maria T. Arévalo","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.S4-E001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.S4-E001","url":null,"abstract":"ISSN:2157-2526 JBTBD, an open access journal J Bioterror Biodef Bioterrorism: Infectious Diseases Vigilance is essential if we are to be prepared against biological threats stemming from bioterrorist attacks to emerging infectious diseases. Surveillance can provide valuable information for risk assessment and to make decisions on which pathogens to target with the most attention to development and stockpiling of preand postexposure prophylactic vaccines, drugs, or therapies. However, deciding on what probable bioweapon threats and emerging infectious diseases to invest time and resources on poses a challenge, especially during harsh economic times or in poorer regions. Should we thus, attempt to focus on the most plausible threat or the most devastating threat to occur even if it appears to be less probable?","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90854138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential duel-use of bacteriophage related technologies in bioterrorism and biodefense.","authors":"Huahao Fan, Y. Tong","doi":"10.4172/2157-2526.1000121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-2526.1000121","url":null,"abstract":"Bacteriophages are one of the simplest life forms on earth. They are natural killers of bacteria and exist in very large numbers in almost all natural habitats. With the ever-increasing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, bacteriophages have regained the attention of biomedical scientists, but few reports have considered the use of bacteriophages in bioterrorism. This review describes the potential for bacteriophages to be used as bioterrorism agents or tools, as well as in counter-measures against bioterrorism.","PeriodicalId":15179,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense","volume":"41 10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76359451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}