2004 FDA Science Forum Speaker Abstract: S-19

Speaker Abstract: S-19

Evolution of Microbial Pathogens: Forensic Strategies for Strain Identification (MOU with the FBI and Homeland Security)
J. Eugene LeClerc, Ph.D., Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition/FDA

The research of our laboratory in recent years has focused on the roles of mutators in generating diversity in the bacterial genome, accelerating the evolution of adaptive traits, and establishing the boundaries for mutational change in the natural environment of pathogens. Among the outgrowths of these studies have been the use of cladistic analyses to group strains based on sequence changes and the development of other molecular methods for the rapid determination of strain differences. The potential of these methods for attribution of strains used as agents of bioterrorism caught the attention of the law enforcement and forensic communities and has resulted in a collaborative effort among FDA, FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security.

2004 FDA Science Forum | FDA Chapter, Sigma Xi | CFSAN | FDA

Last updated on 2004-MAY-28 by frf