Journal of Bioterrorism & Biodefense
Open Access

Research Article

Modular Ultrasonic Lysis System for Rapid Nucleic Acid Extraction and Sample Transfer of Bacillus Spores

Matthias Geissler^1*#, Sandra Isabel^2#, Benoît Voisin¹, Chantal Fauvel², Maurice Boissinot², Michel G. Bergeron^2* and Teodor Veres^1,3

¹National Research Council of Canada, Boucherville (Quebec) J4B 6Y4, Canada

²Centre de recherche en infectiologie de l’Université Laval, Quebec (Quebec) G1V 4G2, Canada

³INRS-EMT, Varennes (Quebec) J3X 1S2, Canada

^#These authors contributed equally to this work

*Corresponding Author:

Matthias Geissler
National Research Council of Canada, 75 de Mortagne Boulevard
Boucherville (Quebec) J4B 6Y4, Canada
Tel: +1 450 641-5388
Fax: +1 450 641-5105
E-mail: matthias.geissler@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca

Michel G. Bergeron
Centre de recherche en infectiologie de l’Université Laval
Centre de recherche du CHUQ, 2705 Boulevard Laurier
Quebec (Quebec) G1V 4G2, Canada
Tel: +1 418 654-2705
Fax: +1 418 654-2715
E-mail: Michel.G.Bergeron@crchul.ulaval.ca

Received Date: August 13, 2012; Accepted Date: November 05, 2012; Published Date: November 10, 2012

Citation: Geissler M, Isabel S, Voisin B, Fauvel C, Boissinot M, et al. (2012) Modular Ultrasonic Lysis System for Rapid Nucleic Acid Extraction and Sample Transfer of Bacillus Spores. J Bioterr Biodef 3:119. doi: 10.4172/2157-2526.1000119

Copyright: © 2012 Geissler M, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This paper describes the design, functioning and use of an ultrasonic modular system intended for rapid extraction and fragmentation of DNA from microbial organisms following sample collection in the field. PCR assessment of the DNA extracts revealed that the system can disrupt Bacillus atrophaeus spores, a simulant for Bacillus anthracis, in less than 1 min, providing a DNA yield equivalent to that of a commercial nucleic acid extraction method. Simulation of the transfer from a contaminated to a secure area confirmed that the sample remained confined within the module while the exterior surface can be decontaminated through immersion in a disinfectant solution.

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