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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2002, p. 3956-3963, Vol. 40, No. 11
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.11.3956-3963.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Protocol for Real-Time PCR Identification of Anthrax Spores from Nasal Swabs after Broth Enrichment

Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Laboratorio di Microbiologia Molecolare e Biotecnologia, Università di Siena, Siena,¹ Laboratorio di Batteriologia e Micologia Medica, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy²

Received 15 March 2002/ Returned for modification 19 June 2002/ Accepted 12 August 2002

A mass-screening protocol for the diagnosis of anthrax from nasal swabs based on an enrichment step in liquid medium was devised. Incubation for growth was performed in autoclavable vials and racks which allow real-time PCR analysis of sterilized cultures. A dual-color PCR was set up with primers and probes for the chromosomal marker rpoB and the plasmid marker lef. Specific primer and probe sets were designed for the differentiation of Bacillus anthracis from B. cereus and for the differentiation of the Sterne vaccine strain from field isolates and the Ames strain, which was used in the recent anthrax bioterrorist attack. The present protocol thus combines the high specificity and sensitivity of real-time PCR with excellent biosafety and the low hands-on time necessary for the processing of large numbers of samples, which is extremely important during control programs involving the processing of large numbers of samples.

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