SPADA Meeting Book

Background

Cont… Recommendations to evaluate candidate assays using soil samples was  added to Part 2 of the Environmental Factors appendix in 2017: 2.2:  Soil Testing “Airborne soil particles may constitute a significant challenge to the  analysis of collected aerosol samples by polymerase chain  reaction (PCR) assays.  Soils contain genomic materials or nucleic  acid fragments of countless archaebacterial, bacterial, and  eukaryotic organisms.  Some of the more common soil organisms  can be anticipated.  Soils may also contain unanticipated  components that interfere with extraction, denaturation,  polymerization, or annealing reactions. Therefore, determining the  effect of a variety of representative soils on the robustness of a  PCR assay is an important first step.”  However, instructions in the Soil Testing section are extremely limited because  there was not a consensus on how to conduct soil testing , nor what kinds of soil  samples to use (T&E; assay development; industry/gov’t)

Background

Then…

Soil Testing Working Group launched in order to attempt to address  concerns using soil in assay development.  Working group an interagency effort in order to include experiences  from verity of scientists and to address as many concerns about soil as  a matrix during Biothreat testing as possible.