Volume 9, Number 4—April 2003
Dispatch
Fear of Bioterrorism and Implications for Public Health Preparedness
Table 1
Results of 1,364 environmental specimens submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Laboratories (Chicago laboratory) for Bacillus anthracis testing, October–December 2001
Organism | Powder (%) | Nonpowder (%) |
---|---|---|
Total |
573 (42.0) |
791 (58.0) |
B. cereus |
110 (19.2) |
63 (8.0) |
B. subtilis |
29 (5.1) |
32 (4.0) |
Other Bacillus species (hemolytic, positive motility) |
21 (3.7) |
40 |
B. mycoides |
16 (2.8) |
6 |
B. circulans |
10 (1.7) |
4 |
B. pumilus |
2 (0.3) |
5 |
B. brevis |
1 (0.2) |
1 |
B. laterosporus |
0 |
1 |
B. megaterium |
0 |
1 |
B. polymyxa |
0 |
1 |
B. anthracis |
0 |
0 |
Staphylococcus species (nonhemolytic) |
137 (23.9) |
180 |
Staphylococcus aureus |
3 (0.5) |
5 |
Other mixed gram-positive organisms |
48 (8.3) |
68 |
Gram-negative bacilli |
80 (14.0) |
72 |
Enterobacter agglomerans |
1 (0.2) |
0 |
Moraxella catarrhalis |
1 (0.2) |
0 |
Mixed other gram-positive organisms and mold |
8 (1.4) |
11 |
Mold |
19 (3.3) |
32 |
No growth | 87 (15.2) | 269 |