Recovery of <i>B</i>. <i>anthracis</i> spores after exposure to decontaminants.

<p>Recovery of <i>B</i>. <i>anthracis</i> Sterne spores (Red) or Ames spores (Yellow) after exposure to test decontaminants over specified periods of time. Sterne spores were quenched using DE broth (blue) after exposure to the decontaminants. Untreated controls (solid bars), chlorine dioxide based test decontaminant (checker bars), 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (striped bars). Quench control samples (Green) were DE broths incubated with each decontaminant prior to Sterne spore addition or in DE broth alone (solid bar). Data are presented as means (n = 3) CFU ml^-1 of spores recovered after specified contact times with decontaminants.