The next group of subtopics covers the following bacteria as primary agents of bioterrorism:
- Bacillus anthracis
- Yersinia pestis
- Francisella tularensis
- Brucella species
- Burkholderia species
Addressing:
- Likely clinical specimen types
- Gram stain morphology
- Culture characteristics
- Colony morphology
- Hallmark features
- Other diagnostic tests to aid in preliminary identification
Essential "trigger points" are present with each of these organisms. The sentinel laboratory must develop standard operating procedures to address these trigger points, such as when to refer the suspected isolate to the LRN Reference Laboratory.
