In its ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the mail system, the US Postal Service (USPS) is turning to PCR-based pathogen-detection systems. On May 13, USPS announced a $3.7 million (US) agreement with the Baltimore, Md.-based Automation and Information Systems division of Northrup Grumman, to test a multicompany system in one of the USPS's central processing facilities. At the core of the technology is the GeneXpert® system developed by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cepheid. A competing device from Lockheed Martin is undergoing prequalifying evaluations.
Soon after the October 2001 anthrax attacks, USPS decided to install a biological detection system to head off future attacks. It consulted the military, which suggested PCR-based approaches over immunoassays or mass spectroscopy-based instruments. "It's a proven technology, and the military has been using it since the Gulf War for field-testing of anthrax in a combat environment," says USPS spokesman Gerry Kreienkamp.
But surveying the USPS presents ...
