Volume 8, Number 10—October 2002
THEME ISSUE
Bioterrorism-related Anthrax
Bioterrorism-related Anthrax
Molecular Subtyping of Bacillus anthracis and the 2001 Bioterrorism-Associated Anthrax Outbreak, United States
Table 3
Patient no.b | Specimen typec | Interval after antimicrobial therapy (days)d | MLVA loci detected | pagA | Bacillus anthracis LRN PCRe |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pleural fluid | 4 | All negative | Negative | Positive |
Pleural fluid | 4 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
Blood | 4 | All negative | Negative | Negative | |
Lung | 4 | All negative | ND | ND | |
Lung | 4 | vrrA | ND | Negative | |
Heart blood | 4 | vrrA, vrrB1 | Negative | Negative | |
Pericardial blood | 4 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
2 | Thoracentesis fluid | 4 | vrrA | Negative | Positive |
Serum | 10 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
Respiratory wash | 4 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
Pleural fluid | 4 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
3 | Blood culture | 0 | All negative | Negative | Positive |
5 | Blood culture | 0 | All negative | Negative | Positive |
Blood culture | 0 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
6 | Blood culture | 0 | vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2,,vrrC2 | Negative | Positive |
10 | Pleural fluid | 1 | vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2, vrrC1, vrrC2, CG3, pXO1, pXO2 | Positive | Positive |
Pleural fluid | 1 | vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2, vrrC1, vrrC2, CG3, pXO1, pXO2 | Positive | Positive | |
Blood | 1 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
CSF | 3 | All negative | Negative | Positive | |
Lung | 3 | vrrA, CG3 | Negative | Positive | |
Lymph node | 3 | vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2, vrrC1, vrrC2, CG3, pXO1, pXO2 | Positive | Positive | |
11 | Pleural fluid | 2 | All negative | Positive | Positive |
Blood | 2 | All negative | Negative | Negative | |
Blood culture | -1 | All negative | ND | ND | |
Blood culture | -1 | All negative | ND | Positive | |
Blood culture | -1 | All negative | ND | ND | |
Blood culture | -1 | All negative | ND | Positive | |
Lymph node | 4 | vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2, vrrC1, vrrC2, CG3 | Positive | Positive |
aMLVA, multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis; pagA, protective antigen gene; LRN, Laboratory Response Network; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
bPatients 1–10 described in Jernigan et al. (19) and patient 11 in Barakat et al (20)
cSpecimens collected postmortem.
dNumber of days the specimen was collected following or before the initiation of antimicrobial therapy. Specimens collected the same day as the initiation of therapy were designated as day 0 but were collected before antibiotic therapy.
eResults using the Laboratory Response Network PCR assay for detection of B. anthracis during the outbreak (18).
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