Method for Optically Monitoring Anthrax Infection Events in Real Time Using Luciferase Tagged Bacteria and in Vivo Imaging Techniques

The recent exposures to Bacillus anthracis have highlighted certain issues that are unclear, especially the time frame for which spores could reside in the lungs, the dose, and their potential to subsequently cause a lethal outcome. It is important to find a technique that will allow for visual monitoring of the entire infection process of anthrax in real time to get a better understanding of the sequence of events and target tissues affected by this bacteria. We have successfully transfected B. anthracis (Sterne) with the pXEN5 plasmid that contains the lux operon, kanamycin resistant colonies were selected that showed luminescent signals. In vitro assays on mouse macrophage cell line has been used to determine the infectivity of the transfectants. These luminescent transfectants will then be evaluated in an animal model. The utility of in vivo imaging, of a diseased animal has tremendous potential for testing therapeutic drugs or vaccines for their efficacy in an established animal model.