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Army launches new bio warfare identification class

By Elaine Wilson
August 1, 2005

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 1, 2005,) - The Army Medical Department Center and School’s newest multi-service course teaches students the inner workings of a biological warfare identification device.

The first formal Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System Course, taught at Brooks City-Base, began in July with 24 military and civilian students from military installations throughout the world.

JBAIDS is the latest weapon in the race to identify biological warfare agents quickly and accurately. What used to take two to four days in a microbiology laboratory to identify a biological warfare agent, JBAIDS can do in about an hour.

“This is the first Department of Defense laboratory system for confirmation of biological threat agents in the field,” said Jim Murray, JBAIDS course director.

According to Maj. Harry Whitlock, AMEDDC&S combat developer, the system’s sensitivity, or ability to accurately identify specimens containing an agent, averages at least 85 percent per test, and its specificity, or accuracy in pinpointing the percentage of specimens without an agent, has averaged at least 90 percent.

“With rapid identification of a threat, we can be armed with information to fight bioterrorism,” said Donna Boston, JBAIDS program manager. “The quicker we can identify an agent, the quicker a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and commanders can start taking action.”

Since JBAIDS is a Department of Defense-run project, each military branch had a hand in its testing and adaptation of the civilian-based technology for military use.

Training was one of the many tasks that fell to the Army. The training role was a “natural addition to the AMEDDC&S,” Murray said.

“Officials looked at different ways to conduct training,” he said. “We needed a quality schoolhouse and the consensus was AMEDDC&S. Its reputation made it an obvious choice.”

The 10-day class exposes students to JBAIDS technology, procedures and maintenance, and includes instruction in biological agents, laboratory procedures for testing threat agents, analysis of DNA and RNA for biological agents and the safe handling of biological agents.

“Some students have been exposed to this type of technology but many have not,” Murray said. “It’s our job to bring everyone up to speed. We designed the training for the novice so it shouldn’t present an overwhelming challenge for anyone.”

After initial training, students are able to operate the system, which is small enough to slip into a rucksack, in a fixed or mobile laboratory facility that can travel downrange where the greatest threats exist.

Currently, however, there are only a handful of systems dispersed throughout the services for students to use. While operational testing has been overwhelmingly successful, the device is still awaiting a green light from the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense before full-rate production can begin. If approved, JBAIDS will enter full-rate production in the next few months and the Department of Defense will distribute up to 450 systems throughout the services over the next three years, according to Boston.

Murray said he is hoping and planning for the best training possible.

“We’re already planning the course’s evolution,” he said.

Since only a limited number of devices are on hand, and the use is on an infrequent basis, former students’ skills can quickly degrade. He said course instructors are developing sustainment courses with the need for skill maintenance in mind.

“We’re planning to send out CDs with a variety of refresher topics to former students and are also developing a proficiency test program,” Murray said.

The proficiency test will require students to analyze a sample sent in the mail with a pre-approved proctor ensuring students accurately identify the “agent.”

“This will keep their skills sharp,” Murray said.

The course will further evolve as JBAIDS does the same. The device can currently identify up to 10 different biological warfare agents in a given sample, including smallpox, anthrax, plague and encephalitis. The next step for JBAIDS is the addition of toxin detection and, in a few years, the development of a handheld version. The course will mirror this growth.

“We’re already starting the acquisition process for a toxin identification system,” Murray said. “Once the system is fully developed, we’ll add training for analysis of toxins to our existing training course.”

The ultimate goal is to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval, something that will help launch JBAIDS into military fixed and deployable medical facilities as a diagnostic tool and into DoD veterinary food labs for testing of food and water supplies. Murray said AMEDDC&S is prepared to train enough users to handle the future workload.

In the meantime, Murray said his focus remains on bringing future JBAIDS’ users up to speed.

“The technology has the potential to save countless lives,” he said. “Our job is to ensure the lab technicians have the skills they need to make that happen.”