to isolate and detect anthrax spores form soil in different regions of iran in order to find the anthrax foci‚ a total of 668 environmental specimens were collected during 2003-2004. bacterial endospores were extracted from soil specimens via flotation in distilled water, incubation at room temperature, filtration, heat shock and culture on blood agar and selective plet media. bacillus anthraci...

  Protection of animals immunized against Bacillus anthracis is usually demonstrated by challenging with an appropriate dose of a strain of Bacillus anthracis that is lethal to unvaccinated animals inoculated at the same time. In this study the protective efficacy in anthrax vaccine (34F2 sterne strain spore) was evaluated in sheep, goats and guinea pigs challenged with subcutaneous inoculation...

A fluorescein-conjugated antibody against formalin-inactivated spores of Bacillus anthracis Vollum reacted only weakly with a variety of Bacillus species in microfluorometric immunofluorescence assays. A conjugated antibody against spores of B. anthracis Sterne showed little affinity for spores of several B. anthracis isolates including B. anthracis Vollum, indicating that more than one anthrax...

All Bacillus spores are encased in macromolecular shells. One of these is a proteinacious shell called the coat that, in Bacillus subtilis, provides critical protective functions. The Bacillus anthracis spore is the infectious particle for the disease anthrax. Therefore, the coat is of particular interest because it may provide essential protective functions required for the appearance of anthr...

protection of animals immunized against bacillus anthracis is usually demonstrated by challenging with an appropriate dose of a strain of bacillus anthracis that is lethal to unvaccinated animals inoculated at the same time. in this study the protective efficacy in anthrax vaccine (34f2 sterne strain spore) was evaluated in sheep, goats and guinea pigs challenged with subcutaneous inoculation o...

EA1 is an abundant, highly antigenic, surface layer protein of Bacillus anthracis vegetative cells. Recent studies indicate that EA1 is also a component of B. anthracis spores and a potential marker for spore detection. We show here that EA1 is not a spore component but a persistent contaminant in spore preparations.

Remediation of Bacillus anthracis-contaminated soil is challenging and approaches to reduce overall spore levels in environmentally contaminated soil or after intentional release of the infectious disease agent in a safe, low-cost manner are needed. B. anthracis spores are highly resistant to biocides, but once germinated they become susceptible to traditional biocides or potentially even natur...

Bacillus anthracis transitions from a dormant spore to a vegetative bacillus through a series of structural and biochemical changes collectively referred to as germination. The timing of germination is important during early steps in infection and may determine if B. anthracis survives or succumbs to responsive macrophages. In the current study experiments determined the contribution of endogen...

Rapid and accurate detection of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, remains an active area of research due to the continued threat of bioterrorist attack. The ability to differentiate Bacillus anthracis spores from spores belonging to other Bacillus species is important for the development of spore-based detection methods. Furthermore, not all Bacillus anthracis strains are full...

Bacterial spores are encased in a multilayered proteinaceous shell, called the coat. In many Bacillus spp., the coat protects against environmental assault and facilitates germination. In Bacillus anthracis, the spore is the etiological agent of anthrax, and the functions of the coat likely contribute to virulence. Here, we characterize a B. anthracis spore protein, called Cotbeta, which is enc...