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Volume 24, Number 4—April 2018
Research

Avirulent Bacillus anthracis Strain with Molecular Assay Targets as Surrogate for Irradiation-Inactivated Virulent Spores

Roger D. Plaut, Andrea B. Staab, Mark A. Munson, Joan S. Gebhardt, Christopher P. Klimko, Avery V. Quirk, Christopher K. Cote, Tony L. Buhr, Rebecca D. Rossmaier, Robert C. Bernhards, Courtney E. Love, Kimberly L. Berk, Teresa G. Abshire, David A. Rozak, Linda C. Beck, Scott Stibitz, Bruce G. Goodwin, Michael A. Smith, and Shanmuga SozhamannanComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA (R.D. Plaut, S. Stibitz); Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Virginia, USA (A.B. Staab, T.L. Buhr, L.C. Beck); Naval Medical Research Center, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA (M.A. Munson, J.S. Gebhardt); US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick (C.P. Klimko, A.V. Quirk, C.K. Cote, T.G. Abshire, D.A. Rozak); US Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA (R.D. Rossmaier, R.C. Bernhards, C.E. Love, K.L. Berk); Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA (R.C. Bernhards); Joint Research and Development, Inc., Stafford, Virginia, USA (C.E. Love, L.C. Beck); Defense Biological Product Assurance Office, Frederick, Maryland, USA (B.G. Goodwin, M.A. Smith, S. Sozhamannan); The Tauri Group, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, USA (S. Sozhamannan)

Main Article

Table 3

Characterization of Bacillus anthracis surrogate strains*

Strain
 Inserts
 Summary of assays performed
WGS accession nos.
 Toxin deletion PCR
 Cassette PCR
 Signature PCR†
 Spore LFI
 Phage test AP50
 Phage test γ
 Sporulation percentage
 Animal model lethality
BA500 None NRIZ00000000 WT NI ER + Sensitive Sensitive Normal (≈100%) Lethal
BAP482 None NRJA00000000 ED NI ER + Sensitive Sensitive Normal (≈100%) Nonlethal
BAP417 None NRJB00000000 ED NI ER + Sensitive Sensitive Normal (≈100%) Nonlethal
BAP708 Signatures 1–5 Yes ED EI ER + Sensitive Sensitive Normal (≈100%) Nonlethal
Ames None CP009979–CP009981 WT WT ER + Sensitive Sensitive Normal (25) (≈100%) Lethal (26)
B. thuringiensis Al Hakam None CP009645–CP009651 NP NI ER − Resistant Resistant Normal (16) ≈100%) ND

*ED, expected deletion; EI, expected insert; ER, expected result; LFI, lateral flow immunoassay; ND, not done; NI, no insert; NP, no PCR product; WGS, whole-genome sequence; WT, wild-type; +, positive; –, negative.
†Results in Table 4.

Main Article

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