Comparison of liquid and filter sampling techniques for recovery of Bacillus spores and Escherichia coli from environmental water.

Historically, detecting water contamination has involved collecting and directly analyzing liquid samples, but recent advances in filter sampling methods offer numerous potential advantages. Emerging technologies, including environmental DNA (eDNA) samplers, could be used for remote microbial contamination sampling, but work is needed to determine if target microorganisms can be recovered from filters at comparable levels to traditional sampling methods. In this study, Escherichia coli and a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis spores were sampled from synthetic stormwater and quantified using both direct liquid and filter methods, and dwell time tests compared microorganism persistence in water and on filters.

Fate and transport of viable simulant spores in ambient air during a large outdoor decontamination field exercise.

The Wide Area Demonstration (WAD) was a field exercise conducted under the U.S. EPA's Analysis of Coastal Operational Resiliency program, in conjunction with the U.

Use of semi-permeable bag materials to facilitate on-site treatment of biological agent-contaminated waste.

Clean up following the wide-area release of a persistent biological agent has the potential to generate significant waste. Waste containing residual levels of biological contaminants may require off-site shipment under the U.S.

Impact of filter material and holding time on spore sampling efficiency in water.

Bacillus anthracis and other environmentally persistent pathogens pose a significant threat to human and environmental health. If contamination is spread over a wide area (e.g.

Determining Viral Disinfection Efficacy of Hot Water Laundering.

This protocol provides an example of a laboratory process for conducting laundering studies that generate data on viral disinfection. While the protocol was developed for research during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is intended to be a framework, adaptable to other virus disinfection studies; it demonstrates the steps for preparing the test virus, inoculating the test material, assessing visual and integrity changes to the washed items due to the laundering process, and quantifying the reduction in viral load. Additionally, the protocol outlines the necessary quality control samples for ensuring the experiments are not biased by contamination and measurements/observations that should be recorded to track the material integrity of the personal protective equipment (PPE) items after multiple laundering cycles.

Virucidal efficacy of antimicrobial surface coatings against the enveloped bacteriophage Φ6.

Aims: Antimicrobial coatings, for use in combination with routine cleaning and disinfection, were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing virus concentration on stainless steel surfaces.

Methods: Twenty antimicrobial coating products, predominantly composed of organosilane quaternary ammonium compounds, were applied to stainless steel coupons, dried overnight and evaluated for efficacy against Φ6, an enveloped bacteriophage. Additionally, two peel and stick polymer-based films, a copper-based film and three copper alloys were evaluated.