A minisonicator to rapidly disrupt bacterial spores for DNA analysis

Concerns about the use of anthrax spores as a weapon of mass destruction ha ve motivated the development of portable instruments capable of detecting a nd monitoring a suspected release of the agent. Optimal detection of bacter ial spores by PCR requires that the spores be disrupted to make the endogen ous DNA available for amplification. The entire process of spore lysis, PCR , and detection can take several hours using conventional methods and instr uments. In this report, a minisonicator and prototype spore lysis cartridge were built to disrupt Bacillus spores in 30 s for rapid, real-time PCR ana lysis. Utilization of the minisonicator improved PCR analysis by decreasing the limit of detection, reducing the time of detection, and increasing the signal amplitude. Total time of spore disruption and detection using the m inisonicator and a microchip PCR instrument was less than 15 min.