Early and reliable detection and identification - an important element for efficient biodefense preparedness and response

This report is based on the paper presented by the author at the International Bioterrorism Conference in Fürigen, Switzerland April 2005, “Meeting the Challenges of Bioterrorism: Assessing the Threat and Designing Biodefense Strategies”. The paper has been modified for publication of this report. The potential use of biological threat agents results in an urgent need for rapid and reliable detection and identification techniques of these agents in order to quickly respond to a biological attack. This paper highlights the importance of developing detection and identification methods of biological threat agents. A brief overview of some of these methods, with emphasis on molecular-based identification techniques, is presented. Also, some of the ongoing research projects at FFI regarding identification of biological threat agents and other closely linked projects addressing bioterrorism issues are briefly described.