Abstract: The present invention provides methods of detecting a biothreat agent in a sample, comprising detecting at least one biothreat-specific amplicon in the sample. The methods also encompass confirming the absence of the biothreat agent by detecting Near Neighbor specific amplicons to avoid false positive results.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a novel system and method for providing a fast, inexpensive and reliable diagnostic test for indicating the presence of a biological threat. This test utilizes surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to interrogate a sample comprising metallic plasmonic particles suspected of contamination with the biological threat. The Raman spectrum is analyzed for specific Raman shifts that are characteristic of an interaction of the biological threat with the metallic plasmonic particles to produce a diagnostic result.