The Prime Alert Biodetection Threat Verification system is used to determine if a suspicious powder contains potential bio-warfare microbes, including bacterial spores. The Prime Alert is intended for use by emergency management teams and security personnel to rapidly assess whether an unknown powder presents a credible bioterrorist threat or is a harmless nuisance. The Prime Alert is a broad microbe screen, which means it can test a sample for any type of microbe. It differs from bacteria-specific tests like those for anthrax in that it allows the user to test for multiple types of potential bioterrorist threats with one test, in less than 5 minutes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists 13 high-priority, weaponizable bacterial agents, and Prime Alert detects all of them in one test. Prime Alert, from GenPrime...
