Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Nano-Mechanical Properties Of Heat Inactivated Bacillus Anthracis And Bacillus Thuringiensis Spores, Jessica L. Poindexter

Theses and Dissertations

B. thuringiensis spores must have similar properties to B. anthracis spores to be a good simulant in counter-proliferation studies. In particular, they must behave in a similar way when exposed to high temperatures for short periods of time as would be caused by an explosion. This research project compares surface elasticities for four different spore sample types, B. anthracis spores, heat inactivated B. anthracis spores, B. thuringiensis spores, and heat inactivated B. thuringiensis spores. Heat inactivated spores were exposed to a temperature just high enough that no spores were observed to germinate. Elasticity values for the spore surfaces were determined …