Chemical and Physical Signatures for Microbial Forensics

The anthrax attacks of 2001 brought to light the critical need for advanced microbial forensics techniques. Although significant strides have been made in the rapid identification of pathogenic organisms based on nucleic techniques, comparatively little knowledge has been assembled in an easily accessible volume regarding physical and chemical signatures associated with pathogenic organisms and their production. There is currently a single text devoted to microbial forensics, but this text focuses primarily on the biology, identification, and epidemiology of pathogenic organisms, as well as quality control and handling of evidence. The text pays very little attention to potential chemical and physical signatures associated with the production, transport, and dispersal of microorganisms.

The text proposed here would complement the available text in microbial forensics by presenting state of the art analysis techniques that are currently being used or developed for use in microbial forensics. The text will be written by a collaboration of recognized experts in the rapidly developing field of microbial forensics. In addition to introductory chapters covering the nature of the microbe and constraints of scientific data in the forensic arena, the text will contain specific information on chemical and physical analyses of cellular and extra-cellular components for forensic attribution. Finally, a chapter devoted to data reduction and analysis will serve to add context to the fundamental science to which the bulk of the text will be devoted.

In addition to the law enforcement and intelligence communities, the proposed text will be an invaluable reference for academic, private, and government laboratories, studying the chemistry of microbes, regardless of whether that research is focused in a forensic setting or not.