Anthrax is an infection principally affecting grass-eating animals which become infected by grazing on infected pastureland or by eating infected feedstuffs. The bacilli that cause the infection produce resistant spores which can survive for many years. Although outbreaks of anthrax are now extremely rare in the UK, the disease is still prevalent in many countries from which raw wool and cashmere are imported. The spores of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, can be carried on raw fibre samples posing a risk for transportation and textile workers. The aim of this project was to develop a rapid and sensitive DNA-based diagnostic test for the detection of Bacillus anthracis spores on commercial samples of wool and cashmere.

Publications

Levi, K., Sherwood-Higham, J.L., Hamlyn, P.F. & Coates, D. (1997). ‘Multiplex PCR detection of Bacillus anthracis spores in commercial samples of wool and cashmere’, in Proceedings of the Australian Society of Microbiology Conference (ASM 97), University of Adelaide, Australia.

Levi, K. (1999). PhD Thesis, University of Leeds.

Levi, K., Higham, J.L., Coates, D. & Hamlyn, P.F. (2003). Molecular detection of anthrax spores on animal fibres. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 36, 418-422.