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Subject: TIPS ON CONDUCTING THE TEST                                     

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box ID: BX003203

Folder Title: ANTHRAX PA ASSAY SMART TEST                                                                     

Document Number:          1

Folder SEQ  #:         24





          jAN 30 '91 1                                                        P.2
                                          ornr)r-T


                                         UNCLASSIFIED








          SGRI)-UID-E                                             29 January 1591


          MEMCRA-NDUM FOR Commander James Burans, Navy Forward Laboratory
                           Major Thomas Dreierf 996th Medical Laboratory VA

          SUBJECT: Anthrax PA Assay (Smart Test)
            U)
          l@ The following message has been provided to HQ, USAMRDC and
          other interested parties. Action being implemented.is to recall
          all assays to your level. Unclear at present whether recalled
          tests will be returned to CONUS or remain in AOR, but you should
          secure whatever you need now, Preliminary results here indicate
          that lot 103 compares well with lot 100 when examining samples
          from aerosol exposed monkeys. All sera from monkeys with high
          bacterem'@a were clearly positive on both lots, and no false
          positive reactions were noted. Low intensity false positive
          reactions on lot 103 seen on normal human sera disappeared when
          increased wash solution volume was added, but WN patient remained
          as a clear false positive reaction. Anticipate testing on
          febrile patient sera starting 30 Jan 91; will keep you posted of
          results. Text of formal message is as follows.
          2@BACKGROUNI): The New Horizons "Smart Test" for Anthrax is an
          assay designed to rapidly detect a protein antigen produced
          following infection with Bacillus anthracis, the cause of
          anthrax.   This antigen is called 11 r@@ctive antigen", or PA,
          which is thought to be produced in all anthrax cases, regardless
          of the infecting strain. The Smart Test was only recently
          developed and we are continuing to determine its sensitivity and
t perfecto it has proven useful
          in rapidly detecting PA under experimental conditions.
                The most likely clinical presentation of anthrax to be seen
          in a biowarfare scenario is inhalation anthrax. This form of the
          disease is very rare under normal conditions, and the New
          Horizons anthrax test has never been evaluated on humans
          suffering from inhalation anthrax. The test is being carefully
          evaluated an specimens obtained from nonhuman primates
          experimentally infected by the aerosol route with Bacillus
          anthracis. The resulting infection in non-h=an primates is
          thought to closely parallel that seen in humans. Untreated,
          unvaccinated, non-human primates exposed by the aerosol routs
          suffer a disease which leads to death in three to eight days.
          Reactivity of the Smart Test on serum closely parallels
          bacteremia, with the test yielding clear positive results only
          when bacteremia reaches >10,000 colony forming units per ml of
                                          -Re,p. L@,    UNCLASSIFIED

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Document 4 f:/Week-36/BX003203/ANTHRAX PA ASSAY SMART TEST/tips on conducting the test:11259610130311
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003203
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = ANTHRAX PA ASSAY SMART TEST
Folder Seq # = 24
Subject = TIPS ON CONDUCTING THE TEST
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 25-NOV-1996