BioTerNet Networking and Strain Tracking

TL;DRAbstract

Bacterial agents used in biowarfare/bioterrorism may consist of well-known, characterized agents, or unknown and possibly genetically engineered bacteria. In order to save the maximum number of lives and to allow for effective countermeasures and investigative activities after a bacterial agent release, it is crucial to quickly identify the specific bacterial strain and source used in an attack. A basic capability to address this need is already present in the existing MIDI Sherlock System. The Sherlock System uses a gas chromatograph to analyze extracted bacterial organisms for their inherent cellular fatty acid (CFA) components. The fatty acid profile is compared to a library of known bacterial entries to determine the species identification for the sample. Sherlock has library entries for all of the major bacterial bioterrorism agents as well as routine bacterial organisms. Sherlock can compare bacterial samples to each other. It is a single system that can both identify known organ

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