Can the presence of Bacillus anthracis spores be detected by a characteristic appearance, odor, or taste?
Bacillus anthracis spores do not have a characteristic appearance (e.g., color), smell, or taste. Spores themselves are too small to be seen by the naked eye. What is subtyping? Subtyping is a laboratory process to identify different subtypes of organisms, which is not possible with standard microbiological testing. Most Bacillus anthracis subtyping is done by examining the organism’s molecular structure for certain genetic characteristics that can then be compared with those of other B. anthracis organism’s to determine whether they are the same or different. Differences between these two organisms would indicate different strains. Is subtyping different from polymerase chain reaction (PCR)? Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory method used to detect and amplify genetic material from organisms. It can be used to diagnose disease by identifying genetic material (DNA) commonly found in all Bacillus anthracis strains or it can be used to subtype the organism by amplifying speci
