Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004 Jun;10(6):1023-9.
doi: 10.3201/eid1006.030716.

Swab materials and Bacillus anthracis spore recovery from nonporous surfaces

Laura Rose  1 , Bette Jensen, Alicia Peterson, Shailen N Banerjee, Matthew J Srduino
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Swab materials and Bacillus anthracis spore recovery from nonporous surfaces

Laura Rose et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Jun.

Abstract

Four swab materials were evaluated for their efficiency in recovery of Bacillus anthracis spores from steel coupons. Cotton, macrofoam, polyester, and rayon swabs were used to sample coupons inoculated with a spore suspension of known concentration. Three methods of processing for the removal of spores from the swabs (vortexing, sonication, or minimal agitation) and two swab preparations (premoistened and dry) were evaluated. Results indicated that premoistened swabs were more efficient at recovering spores than dry swabs (14.3% vs. 4.4%). Vortexing swabs for 2 min during processing resulted in superior extraction of spores when compared to sonicating them for 12 min or subjecting them to minimal agitation. Premoistened macrofoam and cotton swabs that were vortexed during processing recovered the greatest proportions of spores with a mean recovery of 43.6% (standard deviation [SD] 11.1%) and 41.7% (SD 14.6%), respectively. Premoistened and vortexed polyester and rayon swabs were less efficient, at 9.9% (SD 3.8%) and 11.5% (SD 7.9%), respectively.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Environmental scanning electron micrographs of swab material: cotton (A), macrofoam (B), rayon (C), polyester (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jernigan DB, Raghunathan PL, Bell BP, Brechner R, Bresnitz EA, Butler JC, et al. Investigation of bioterrorism-related anthrax, United States, 2001: epidemiologic findings. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002;8:1019–28. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sanderson WT, Hein MJ, Taylor L, Curwin BD, Kinnes GM, Seitz TA, et al. Surface sampling methods for Bacillus anthracis endospore contamination. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002;8:1145–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Angelotti R, Foter MJ, Busch KA, Lewis KH. A comparative evaluation of methods for determining the bacterial contamination of surfaces. Food Res. 1958;23:175–85. 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1958.tb17556.x - DOI
    1. Baldock JD. Microbiological monitoring of the food plant: methods to assess bacterial contamination on surfaces. J Milk Food Technol. 1974;37:361–8.
    1. Mannheimer WA, Ybanez T. Observations and experiments on dishwashing. Am J Public Health. 1917;7:614. 10.2105/AJPH.7.7.614 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources