Volume 8, Number 10, October 2002

Bioterrorism-Related Anthrax

Laboratory Response to Anthrax Bioterrorism, New York City, 2001

Michael B. Heller,* Michel L. Bunning,† Martin E.B. France,‡ Debra M. Niemeyer,§ Leonard Peruski,¶ Tim Naimi,† Phillip M. Talboy,† Patrick H. Murray,# Harald W. Pietz,† John Kornblum,* William Oleszko,* Sara T. Beatrice,* Joint Microbiological Rapid Response Team, [1] and New York City Anthrax Investigation Working Group [2]
*New York City Department of Health, New York, New York, USA; †Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ‡Warfighting Concepts and Architecture Integration Division (J-8), The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., USA; §Joint Program Office for Biological Defense, Falls Church, Virginia, USA; ¶Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA; and #Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA

Figure 4. Chart tracking the time needed to report the status of a sample brought in for classical Bacillus anthracis testing at the New York Bioterrorism Response Laboratory. Negative samples with no suspicious growth could be reported in 24 hours. However, any samples with growth required some degree of subplating or culturing in brain heart infusion broth (BHIB), were heat shocked, and then tested. Reporting of final results on samples could take 3–4 days. SBA, sheep blood agar; CW, cell wall; CAP, capsule; DFA, direct fluorescent-antibody assay; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; Ph, phage; +, positive.

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This page last reviewed September 16, 2002

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal
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