Evaluation of an Electrochemiluminescence Assay for the Rapid Detection of Ricin Toxin.

In this article, we detail a comprehensive laboratory evaluation of an immunoassay for the rapid detection of ricin using the Meso Scale Diagnostics Sector PR2 Model 1800. For the assay evaluation, we used inclusivity, exclusivity, and informational panels comprised of extracts of 35 near-neighbor plant cultivar-extracts, 66 lectins, 26 white powders, 16 closely related toxins and proteins/toxoids, and a pool of 30 BioWatch filter extracts. The results show that the Meso Scale Diagnostics ricin detection assay exhibits good sensitivity and specificity with a limit of detection of 1.

Closed genome sequence of type B1 strain isolated from an infant botulism case in the United States.

We present the closed genome sequence of the strain isolated from the stool specimen of an infant diagnosed with botulism. With 4.33-Mb genome size and 28.

Rapid Presumptive Identification of and Clinical Isolates Using a Highly Specific Lateral Flow Assay.

We conducted a comprehensive, multiphase laboratory evaluation of the InBios Active Melioidosis Detect (AMD) rapid test, a lateral flow immunoassay designed to detect capsular polysaccharides produced by or , used in conjunction with the Omni Array Reader for the rapid identification of culture isolates of or to support clinical diagnosis for response and triage during a mass casualty event, such as a biological attack. The study was conducted at 2 sites to assess the performance of the AMD test. The sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the assay was determined using 5 replicates of 35 inclusivity strains and 64 clinical background strains.

Validation of a Lateral Flow Test for the Presumptive Identification of the Presence of or in Environmental Samples.

We conducted a comprehensive, multiphase laboratory evaluation of InBios Active Melioidosis Detect (AMD) rapid test, a lateral flow immunoassay designed to detect capsular polysaccharides produced by or , used in conjunction with the Omni Array Reader (OAR) for the rapid detection of or in environmental (nonclinical) samples at 2 sites. The limit of detection, using reference strains strain ATCC 23344 and strain ATCC 11668, was determined to be 10 to 10 CFU/mL. In different phases of the evaluation, inclusivity strains that included geographically diverse strains of (N = 13) and (N = 22), geographically diverse phylogenetic near neighbor strains (N = 66), environmental background strains (N = 64), white powder samples (N = 26), and environmental filter extracts (N = 1 pooled sample from 10 filter extracts) were also tested.

Whole-Genome Assessment of Clinical Isolates Uncovers Potentially Novel Factors Influencing Carbapenem Resistance.

Carbapenems-one of the important last-line antibiotics for the treatment of gram-negative infections-are becoming ineffective for treating infections. Studies have identified multiple genes (and mechanisms) responsible for carbapenem resistance. In some strains, the presence/absence of putative resistance genes is not consistent with their resistance phenotype-indicating the genomic factors underlying carbapenem resistance in are not fully understood.

Evaluation of an Electrochemiluminescence Assay for the Rapid Detection of Abrin Toxin.

In this article, we detail a comprehensive laboratory evaluation of an immunoassay for the rapid detection of abrin using the Meso Scale Diagnostics Sector PR2 Model 1800. For the assay evaluation, we used inclusivity and exclusivity panels comprised of extracts of 11 cultivars and 35 near-neighbor plants, 65 lectins, 26 white powders, 11 closely related toxins and proteins, and a pool of 30 BioWatch filter extracts. The results show that the Meso Scale Diagnostics abrin detection assay exhibits good sensitivity and specificity with a limit of detection of 4 ng/mL.

Comprehensive Laboratory Evaluation of a Specific Lateral Flow Assay for the Presumptive Identification of in Suspicious White Powders and Aerosol Samples.

We conducted a comprehensive, multi-phase laboratory evaluation of the Tularemia BioThreat Alert (BTA) test, a lateral flow assay (LFA) for the rapid detection of . The study, conducted at 2 sites, evaluated the limit of detection (LOD) of this assay using the virulent SchuS4 strain and the avirulent LVS strain of . In 6-phase evaluation (linear dynamic range and reproducibility, inclusivity, near-neighbor, environmental background, white powder, and environmental filter extract), 13 diverse strains of , 8 near neighbors, 61 environmental background organisms, 26 white powders, and a pooled aerosol extract were tested.

Comprehensive Laboratory Evaluation of a Lateral Flow Assay for the Detection of .

We conducted a comprehensive, multiphase laboratory evaluation of the Plague BioThreat Alert (BTA) test, a lateral flow immunoassay (LFA), for the rapid detection of . The study was conducted in 7 phases at 2 sites to assess the performance of the LFA. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined using both a virulent and avirulent strain of , CO99-3015 (10 CFU/ml) and A1122 (10 CFU/ml), respectively.

Rapid Presumptive Identification of Isolates Using the Tetracore RedLine Alert™ Test.

A comprehensive laboratory evaluation of the Tetracore RedLine Alert test, a lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) for the rapid presumptive identification of was conducted at 2 different test sites. The study evaluated the sensitivity of this assay using 16 diverse strains of grown on sheep blood agar (SBA) plates. In addition, 83 clinically relevant microorganisms were tested to assess the specificity of the RedLine Alert test.

Closed Genome Sequence of Clostridium botulinum Strain CFSAN064329 (62A).

is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that produces botulinum neurotoxin, a potent and deadly proteinaceous exotoxin. strain CFSAN064329 (62A) produces an A1 serotype/subtype botulinum neurotoxin and is frequently utilized in food challenge and detection studies. We report here the closed genome sequence of strain CFSAN064329 (62A).

Use of quantitative flow cytometry to measure ex vivo immunostimulant activity of echinacea: the case for polysaccharides.

Introduction: When directly exposed to various echinacea fractions, human leukocytes ex vivo are strongly stimulated to proliferate and to produce immunostimulation and inflammatory cytokines. A comparison of fractions containing lipoidal small molecules and high-molecular-weight water-soluble polysaccharides indicates that the latter are substantially more potent as immunostimulants. Echinacea purpurea (L.