The events of September 11, 2001 revealed a need for regular monitoring of infrastructure systems. Efficient aerosol collection systems are currently in place in a variety of settings in order to sample the immediate surroundings. However, the consequence of regular monitoring is an exponential increase in the number of samples requiring rapid analysis. Automated biological agent testing systems offer a solution by providing the ability to rapidly handle large numbers of samples with fewer personnel. In addition, automated testing also offers the advantage of increased consistency and accuracy compared with human systems.