Remediating office environments of spore-forming bacteria.

This study examines decontamination processes that were developed on an emergency basis to eliminate Bacillus anthracis spores from deliberately contaminated buildings. The recommended steps include a survey with sampling, the removal of sensitive items, and HEPA vacuuming of all readily available surfaces, followed by biocide treatment and subsequent analyses for viable cells. There are several analytical challenges posed by this approach.

Identification and application of AFLP-derived genetic markers for quantitative PCR-based tracking of Bacillus and Paenibacillus spp. released in soil.

In this study, we show that noncoding sequences from amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) can provide robust and sensitive genetic markers suitable for PCR-based discrimination of closely related strains of Bacillus and Paenibacillus, and quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based tracking of the strains in complex natural systems like soil. Quantitative PCR was accurate in the approximately 1 x 10(9) to approximately 1 x 10(4) colony forming units (CFU)/g soil range. The detection limit was improved to approximately 1 x 10(2) CFU/g when amplicons were analyzed by gel electrophoresis.