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Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a naturally occurring disease in Australia. Whilst mainly limited to livestock in grazing regions of Victoria and New South Wales, movement of people, stock and vehicles means B. anthracis could be present outside this region. Of particular interest is the "background" prevalence of B. anthracis at transport hubs including airports. The aim of this study was to determine the background frequency of B. anthracis and the commonly used hoax agent Bacillus thuringiensis at the Canberra Airport over a 12 month period. Samples were collected daily for seven days each month from August 2011-July 2012 and analyzed using species specific real-time polymerase chain reaction. Fourteen samples (of a total of 575) were positive for the B. anthracis PL3 genomic marker, 24 for the cya (pXO1) plasmid marker and five for the capB (pXO2) plasmid marker. Whilst five samples were positive for both PL3 and cya, no samples were positive for all three markers hence there is no evidence to suggest the presence of pathogenic B. anthracis strains. B. anthracis targets were detected primarily in February 2012 and B. thuringiensis peaked in October and November 2011 and again in April and May 2012. This study provides a rapid method to screen for, and differentiate, Bacillus species. Armed with this information investigators will be able to discriminate a "threat" from "background" frequencies should the need arise., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: In recent times, but especially since 2001, bioterrorism has been of increasing concern. In addition to the use of biological agents, including Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), there have been numerous hoax white powder "scares." It is imperative to rapidly and accurately identify any suspicious powder as hazardous or hoax. Classical methods for identification typically rely on time-consuming cultivation or highly specific molecular tests which are limited if the agent is unknown. Faster and field portable methods for analysis of suspicious powders are urgently required., Methods: Potential hoax agents, including Bacillus species and household powders, were analyzed using automated microfluidic capillary electrophoresis to determine if protein profiling can distinguish between, and identify, samples., Results: Distinctive protein profiles were produced for Bacillus species, with the presence and/or absence of certain bands, aiding identification. In particular B. anthracis Sterne strain contained a distinctive doublet band above 100 kDa which was not present in any other Bacillus species or hoax agents examined. The majority of powders produced distinctive banding that could enable the identification of the sample while simultaneously ruling out B. anthracis with a high degree of confidence., Conclusions: Results show automated microfluidic capillary electrophoresis can rapidly and reproducibly characterize Bacillus species and hoax agents based on protein profiles without the need for culture. Results were reproducible and there was enhanced resolution and rapidity compared to traditional protein profiling methods. Results show this technique is amenable to field use at a bioterrorism incident, thereby providing essential information to investigators regarding containment and treatment strategies.

Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis are biological agents that pose an increasing concern to national security if deliberately disseminated. Hoax agents, including suspicious white powders and environmental bacterial species, can also cause disruption. In either scenario it is of high importance to rapidly and accurately identify any suspicious powder as hazardous or hoax. Protein profiling, using microfluidic capillary electrophoresis, provides a rapid (less than 40 minutes), reliable and field-based screening method. Two commonly encountered hoax agents, three Bacillus species (including B. anthracis Sterne strain), two Yersinia species and E. coli were profiled on the Experion™ System (Bio-Rad). Peak detection algorithms were developed for the identification of protein peaks in electropherograms. Boolean logic paths were then employed to predict the electrophoretic pattern of samples. Parameters assessed included variation within and between Experion™ Pro260 chips and the ability to discriminate between samples over time intervals, between operators and between field and laboratory analyses. Classification with optimal Boolean logic paths reported no misclassification with an accuracy of 100% for B. anthracis Sterne strain, B. thuringiensis (powder and culture-based), B. cereus and plain wheat flour. Overall there was 75% correct identification for the eight sample types tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial infections, including Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), are a common risk associated with illicit drug use, particularly among injecting drug users. There is, therefore, an urgent need to survey illicit drugs used for injection for the presence of bacteria and provide valuable information to health and forensic authorities. The objectives of this study were to develop a method for the extraction of bacterial DNA from illicit drugs and conduct a metagenomic survey of heroin and methamphetamine seized in the Australian Capital Territory during 2002-2011 for the presence of pathogens. Trends or patterns in drug contamination and their health implications for injecting drug users were also investigated. Methods based on the ChargeSwitch®gDNA mini kit (Invitrogen), QIAamp DNA extraction mini kit (QIAGEN) with and without bead-beating, and an organic phenol/chloroform extraction with ethanol precipitation were assessed for the recovery efficiency of both free and cellular bacterial DNA. Bacteria were identified using polymerase chain reaction and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (PCR/ ESI-MS). An isopropanol pre-wash to remove traces of the drug and diluents, followed by a modified ChargeSwitch® method, was found to efficiently lyse cells and extract free and cellular DNA from Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria in heroin and methamphetamine which could then be identified by PCR/ESI-MS. Analysis of 12 heroin samples revealed the presence of DNA from species of Comamonas, Weissella, Bacillus, Streptococcus and Arthrobacter. No organisms were detected in the nine methamphetamine samples analysed. This study develops a method to extract and identify Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria from illicit drugs and demonstrates the presence of a range of bacterial pathogens in seized drug samples. These results will prove valuable for future work investigating trends or patterns in drug contamination and their health implications for injecting drug users as well as enabling forensic links between seizures to be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]