A hand-held device and method of processing a biological threat agent sample such that any infectious organism is rendered harmless while preserving it for subsequent testing, the method comprising placing a sample comprising a biological threat agent in a reservoir adding a first reagent comprising peracetic acid in sufficient concentration to reach a predetermined minimal concentration after mixing with the sample in the reservoir inactivating the sample upon interaction of the sample with the first reagent for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined temperature removing the inactivated sample from the reservoir and providing the inactivated sample for subsequent diagnostic testing, wherein the subsequent diagnostic testing is unaffected by inactivation of the sample. In another embodiment, the first reagent comprises a cupric salt, which is mixed with ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide to generate cupric ascorbate.
