Immunology of protection from Ebola virus infection.

A December 2014 meeting reviewed Ebola virus immunology relevant to vaccine development, including Ebola prevention, immunity, assay standardization, and regulatory considerations. Vaccinated humans appear to achieve immune responses comparable in magnitude with those associated with protection in nonhuman primates, suggesting that immunological data could be used to demonstrate vaccine efficacy.

Early indicators of exposure to biological threat agents using host gene profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Background: Effective prophylaxis and treatment for infections caused by biological threat agents (BTA) rely upon early diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy. Most methods for identifying pathogens in body fluids and tissues require that the pathogen proliferate to detectable and dangerous levels, thereby delaying diagnosis and treatment, especially during the prelatent stages when symptoms for most BTA are indistinguishable flu-like signs.

Methods: To detect exposures to the various pathogens more rapidly, especially during these early stages, we evaluated a suite of host responses to biological threat agents using global gene expression profiling on complementary DNA arrays.

Evaluation of the Cepheid GeneXpert system for detecting Bacillus anthracis.

Aims: The Cepheid GeneXpert is a four-site, automated sample preparation and real-time PCR detection system. In this study, the capability of the GeneXpert to isolate and detect nucleic acid from Bacillus anthracis Ames spores was assessed.

Methods And Results: A four-plex, dried-down bead cartridge containing PCR reagents specific for the pXO1 and pXO2 plasmids as well as sample processing and inhibition controls was evaluated.

The evolving field of biodefence: therapeutic developments and diagnostics.

The threat of bioterrorism and the potential use of biological weapons against both military and civilian populations has become a major concern for governments around the world. For example, in 2001 anthrax-tainted letters resulted in several deaths, caused widespread public panic and exerted a heavy economic toll. If such a small-scale act of bioterrorism could have such a huge impact, then the effects of a large-scale attack would be catastrophic.

Implementation of biosurety systems in a Department of Defense medical research laboratory.

New biosurety regulations and guidelines were implemented in 2003 because of increased concern for the safety and security of biological select agents and toxins (BSAT) that may be used as weapons of mass destruction. Biosurety is defined as the combination of security, biosafety, agent accountability, and personnel reliability needed to prevent unauthorized access to select agents of bioterrorism. These new regulations will lead to increased scrutiny of the use of select biological agents in registered research laboratories, but the regulations may have unintended effects on cost, progress, and perceptions in programs previously considered part of the academic research community.