FDA Approval of the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System

<p>In 1999 the AF Medical Service (AFMS) successfully field-tested its first deployable biowarfare (BW) agent testing capability and by early 2001 had created twelve deployable Biological Augmentation Teams. These teams were trained to use the blossoming technology of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in detecting four BW agents within a matter of hours. This was revolutionary as traditional microbiological techniques took from 18 hours to days to produce a result. Even more exciting was the fact that a delicate technology such as PCR could be ruggedized and perform successfully in a deployed environment. Since those first steps in 1999 the AFMS has come a long way in fielded BW agent testing capability. Over these seven seemingly long years the BW testing systems have steadily improved to the point that a jointly acquired system is now being fielded for testing ten BW agents.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>