Identifying bacterial spores and anthrax hoax materials by Raman spectroscopy

Stuart Farquharson; Carl R. Brouillette; Wayne Smith

doi:10.1117/12.580465

16 December 2004 Identifying bacterial spores and anthrax hoax materials by Raman spectroscopy

Stuart Farquharson, Carl R. Brouillette, Wayne Smith

Proceedings Volume 5585, Chemical and Biological Point Sensors for Homeland Defense II; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.580465
Event: Optics East, 2004, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Abstract

The distribution of Bacillus anthracis spores through the US postal system in the autumn of 2001, initiated a secondary form of terror, the mailing of hoax materials. In the past three years nearly 20,000 letters containing harmless powders have been mailed, creating additional anxiety. Thus, there is a need for analyzers that can not only identify anthrax-causing spores to save lives, but also identify hoax materials to eliminate time-consuming and costly shutdowns. Recently, we established that Raman spectroscopy has the ability to identify both Bacilli endospores and hoax materials. Here we present Raman spectra of several Bacilli spores along with the dipicolinate salts, to further define the abilities of this technology to not only identify hoax materials, but also identify spores at the genus and species level.

Citation Download Citation

Stuart Farquharson, Carl R. Brouillette, and Wayne Smith "Identifying bacterial spores and anthrax hoax materials by Raman spectroscopy", Proc. SPIE 5585, Chemical and Biological Point Sensors for Homeland Defense II, (16 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.580465

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