Table 2 Practical attributes in surrogate selection
From: Identifying experimental surrogates for Bacillus anthracis spores: a review
| Attribute | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Safety | Should not cause illness or infection in animals or plants |
| Ease of culture | Able to produce with standard microbiological methods in a reasonable timeframe and have reproducibility |
| History of use | Possibility of attaining comparative information from the literature and judging surrogate behaviour |
| Ease and speed of detection | Allows large numbers of samples to be processed for rapid feedback of results |
| Cost | Surrogate production and detection should not be excessive |
| Stability or persistence | No long-term persistence, or easily decontaminated |
| Practical for industrial testing | Should not damage equipment or processes |