Experimental PCR Data on Soil DNA Extracts

Bacillus species and B. anthracis presence/absence data were determined in 4,770 soil samples collected across the contiguous United States, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) data for Bacillus species and B. anthracis rpoB gene PCR amplicon detection were reported as non-detect (n), low (l), medium (m), and high (h). Results for both pag and lef genes of the pX01 plasmid were reported by the University of South Florida's Center for Biological Defense. This data was recorded as negative or positive for each of the genes and included the following combinations: neg/neg, pos/neg, neg/pos, and pos/pos. Data for the pX02 plasmid were recorded as negative (neg) or positive (pos).