BIOTHREATSYeast Material Developed for Training First Responders on Biothreats
First responders who train for emergencies involving threats from biological agents such as bacterial or viral pathogens, need to do so in a safe and careful manner. To help meet their needs, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a reference material based on yeast cells.
When there’s an accident or an emergency such as a fire in a building or a toxic spill, first responders arrive to help people at the scene. One type of emergency involves threats from biological agents such as bacterial or viral pathogens. First responders who train for these kinds of emergencies need to do so in a safe and careful manner. To help meet their needs, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a reference material based on yeast cells.
“Suspicious powder incidents occur regularly throughout the U.S., so first responders need routine training including simulated biothreat scenarios,” said NIST researcher Sandra Da Silva. “There was a need to make this training accessible while also avoiding exposure to a real pathogen. With support from the Department of Homeland Security, we came up with this yeast reference material to support local training in a safe manner.”
Biothreats vary by severity and fall into one of three categories: A, B or C. Category A includes biological agents that could pose a national security risk or deliberately be released to harm people, animals, plants or other living organisms. Anthrax — a serious infectious disease caused by bacteria naturally found in soil — is one example. Categories B and C include biological threats that are of less severity but still harmful.
For all these biological agents, it can be a challenge to prepare in advance and train for an outbreak, and the use of a biothreat material could pose a risk to the first responders involved and the surrounding community. Instead of using the actual pathogen, responders have the option of using NIST Reference Material (RM) 8230, the new surrogate material developed by NIST researchers.
Researchers based the material on baker’s yeast because it is harmless and a living biological material.
“First responders could choose to take a biothreat agent and inactivate it, so it doesn’t grow or cause disease. But it could still be unsettling for the public when they hear that a training exercise in their local area is using anthrax or smallpox, even if you try to explain that it has been inactivated and you’re using it safely. Using a nonharmful material such as baker’s yeast, which is used to make bread, can avoid this situation,” said NIST researcher Nancy Lin.
