Framework for Analyzing Bacillus Fatty Acids for Microbial Forensics

What is it about?

The goal of this study was to examine the correlation between primary source of complex carbon and nitrogen in growth medium formulations and fatty acid composition of Bacillus spores. We show that different nutrient sources (animal meat, milk protein, soy) affect the types and abundance of fatty acids within the cell membrane. We also present a new statistical approach for analyzing fatty acid composition for microbial forensics.

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Why is it important?

Fatty acid profiles can be a valuable source of information during a microbial forensics investigation as it can indicate the growth conditions and subsequently the source of illicitly-produced bacteria. This work describes a useful method for interpreting these complex signatures.