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Review of Decontamination Techniques for the Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis and Other Spore-Forming Bacteria Associated with Building or Outdoor Materials
Citation:
Wood, Joe AND A. Adrion. Review of Decontamination Techniques for the Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis and Other Spore-Forming Bacteria Associated with Building or Outdoor Materials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, , ., (2019).
Impact/Purpose:
Since the intentional release of Bacillus anthracis spores through the U.S. Postal Service in the fall of 2001, research and development related to decontamination for this biological agent have increased substantially. This minireview highlights some of the advances made relative to B. anthracis spore decontamination science and technology since approximately 2002, referencing the open scientific literature and publicly available, well-documented scientific reports. In the process of conducting this review, scientific knowledge gaps have also been identified. This review focuses primarily on techniques that are commercially available and that could potentially be used in the larger-scale decontamination of buildings and other structures, as well as outdoor environments. While considerable progress has been made in the past 15 years to further the state of the art in the inactivation of B. anthracis spores in a decontamination scenario, further research is warranted to close the scientific gaps that remain.
Description:
Although the military has been developing decontamination methods for their purposes for decades, research conducted or funded by nondefense government agencies with a focus on the decontamination of civilian facilities had been minimal prior to 2001. That changed following the intentional release of Bacillus anthracis spores through the U.S. Postal Service in the fall of 2001 (referred to as the Amerithrax attack), with research and development related to decontamination for this bioterrorism agent increasing significantly since then. (B. anthracis is the bacterium causing anthrax disease, and can infect livestock, wildlife, and humans.) This current review highlights the scientific and technological advances made relative to Bacillus anthracis spore decontamination technologies since these initial reviews, from approximately 2002, and identifies knowledge gaps.
URLs/Downloads:
REVIEW OF DECONTAMINATION TECHNIQUES FOR THE INACTIVATION OF BACILLUS ANTHRACIS AND OTHER SPORE-FORMING BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH BUILDING OR OUTDOOR MATERIALS
Free access through PubMed Central