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Volume 10, Number 6—June 2004
Research

Swab Materials and Bacillus anthracis Spore Recovery from Nonporous Surfaces

Laura Rose*Comments to Author , Bette J. Jensen*, Alicia Peterson*, Shailen N. Banerjee*, and Matthew J. Arduino*
Author affiliations: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table 3

Percent recovery of premoistened swabs

Recovery method
Mean
Median
SD
Range
95% CIa
pb
All swabs
All
14.3
9.4
14.9
0.4–63.9
11.2 to 17.4

Extractionc
19.7
14.4
15.5
4.8–63.9
16.3 to 23.1
< 0.01
No extraction
3.5
2.7
3.1
0.4–13.5
2.5 to 4.4

Vortex
26.7
23.7
18.9
1.4–29.0
20.8 to 32.6
< 0.01
Sonication
12.7
13.0
5.6
4.8–63.9
11.0 to 14.5

Cotton swabs
All
20.0
13.3
18.1
2.6–62.5
13.5 to 26.5

Extraction
27.7
20.0
17.7
7.3–62.5
16.7 to 38.7
< 0.01
No extraction
4.7
4.0
2.2
2.6–9.7
3.3 to 6.1

Vortex
41.7
43.7
14.6
23.9–62.5
33.7 to 51.8
< 0.01
Sonication
13.6
13.3
3.2
7.3–19.5
11.3 to 15.3

Macrofoam swabs
All
22.5
16.7
17.5
1.8–63.9
16.3 to 28.8

Extraction
30.7
29.7
15.9
7.0–63.9
20.8 to 40.5
< 0.01
No Extraction
6.3
6.5
3.9
1.8–13.5
3.9 to 8.7

Vortex
43.6
44.9
11.1
30.4–64.0
36.8 to 50.5
< 0.01
Sonication
17.7
16.7
5.9
7.0–29.0
14.0 to 21.3

Polyester swabs
All
7.7
6.4
5.3
0.5–16.5
5.8 to 9.6

Extraction
10.6
11.1
4.1
4.8–16.5
8.1 to 13.1
1.0
No Extraction
2.0
2.0
1.0
0.5–3.4
1.4 to 2.5

Vortex
9.9
10.0
3.8
4.8–14.4
7.5 to 12.3
1.0
Sonication
11.2
12.3
4.4
4.8–16.5
8.5 to 13.9

Rayon swabs
All
7.0
6.0
6.8
0.4–24.0
4.6 to 9.4

Extraction
10.0
8.1
6.4
1.4–24.1
6.0 to 14.0
1.0
No extraction
1.0
0.9
0.7
0.4–2.9
0.5 to 1.4

Vortex
11.5
11.5
7.9
1.4–24.1
6.6 to 11.2
1.0
Sonication 8.5 7.5 4.4 2.5–18.9 5.7 to 11.3

aCI, confidence interval.
bAdjusted for multiple comparisons by Bonferroni correction.
cVortex and sonication methods combined.

Main Article

Page created: February 22, 2011
Page updated: February 22, 2011
Page reviewed: February 22, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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