Faster anthrax detection could speed bioterror response

Shortly following the 9/11 terror attack in 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed around the country killing five people and infecting 17 others. At the time, no testing system was in place to screen the letters. Currently, first responders have tests that can provide results in about 24-48 hours. Now, researchers have tested a new method for anthrax detection that can identify anthrax in only a few hours.