Biological Sampling Kit (BiSKit)

Edgewood Chemical Biological Center ’s Biological Sampling Kit (BiSKit) offers warfighters and first responders a more efficient way to obtain environmental samples from potentially contaminated sites. The unit allows for many samples to be taken in quick succession with minimal hazardous exposure to the collector and fills a vital role in the biodetection, nonproliferation, and forensic analysis communities. The BiSKit is a portable, disposable device that will permit inspectors and forensic evidence specialists to collect biological contaminants from surfaces. The unit can be used to swab wet or dry surfaces. Testing has proven that it can effectively and safely collect bacterial, viral, and toxic material for later analysis and archiving. The BiSKit is an improvement upon two sampling techniques: swab collection and sponge-based sampling. Challenges presented by the two techniques were that the swab method was incapable of sampling areas larger than a slice of bread while the sponge-based method, known as a swipe kit, was comprised of 11 pieces and was difficult to use wearing bulky mission-oriented protective clothing. Furthermore, it was impossible to take multiple samples in quick succession using the swipe kit. The BiSKit is a single-use kit made of a specially designed two-piece plastic container with a sampling sponge fastened to the lid and a dropper attachment. A small vial containing sterile buffer solution attaches to the unit's bottom piece. In 2003, ECBC entered into a nonexclusive patent licensing agreement with QuickSilver Analytics, Inc., of Abingdon, MD., to produce BiSKit for commercial sale.