The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), in conjunction with the Department of Defense, has established a database entry for Bacillus anthracis using the Sherlock® Microbial Identification System (MIS) from MIDI, Inc. The Sherlock MIS uses GC analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) to identify over 1500 species of bacteria, including six bacteria considered to be potential agents of biological terrorism. The new B. anthracis data set entry in the Sherlock Bio-terrorism (BIOTER1.0) Library allowed for accurate identification of B. anthracis isolates. The system can estimate the relatedness of strains, which has potential to determine attribution to the use of biological threat agents.
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