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List of Index A: Acronyms

Resources for information, consultation, and advice on biohazard control, decontamination procedures, and other aspects of laboratory and animal safety management

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy (OSP) serves as primary advisor to the NIH Director regarding biomedical policy issues. In order to effectively promote safe and ethical practices within the research community, the OSP integrates reports from several specialized offices to develop comprehensive and pragmatic policies.

Biological toxins comprise a broad range of poisons, predominantly of natural origin but increasingly accessible by modern synthetic methods, which may cause death or severe incapacitation at relatively low exposure levels.

Although risk of laboratory infection from working with cell cultures in general is low, risk increases when working with human and other primate cells, and primary cells from other mammalian species. There are reports of infection of laboratory workers handling primary rhesus monkey kidney cells, and the bloodborne pathogen risks from working with primary human cells, tissues and body fluids are widely recognized.

This document describes the University's approach to pest management. Many pests, such as flies and cockroaches, can mechanically transmit disease pathogens and compromise the research environment. Even the presence of innocuous insects can contribute to the perception of unsanitary conditions.

The CDC and USDA have designated certain biological agents and toxins as Select Agents, because they have the potential to pose a severe threat to public, animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products. These materials require federal registration and approval to receive, posses, or transfer them.

Risk assessments for arthropod research are multifaceted and focus on risks to individual researchers (harm, injury, disease) and impacts that a breach in containment may have on the community (increased/new vector reservoir, improved vector characteristics). Specific containment recommendations for arthropods deemed to be influential on public health can be found in the "Arthropod Containment Guidelines."

Risk assessment and management guidelines for agriculture differ from human public health standards. Risk management for agriculture research is based on the potential economic impact of animal and plant morbidity, and mortality, and the trade implications of disease.

Biological materials require specific packaging, labeling, and documentation. Infectious materials (materials containing or expected to contain pathogens affecting humans) are regulated by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

This chapter describes basic strategies for decontaminating surfaces, items, and areas in laboratories to eliminate the possibility of transmission of infectious agents to laboratory workers, the general public, and the environment. Factors necessary for environmentally mediated infection transmission are reviewed as well as methods for sterilization and disinfection and the levels of antimicrobial activity associated with liquid chemical germicides.

This document presents information on the design, selection, function and use of BSCs, which are the primary means of containment developed for working safely with infectious microorganisms. Brief descriptions of the facility and engineering concepts for the conduct of microbiological research are also provided.

Table of Contents for Agent Summary Statements.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases which affect humans and a variety of domestic and wild animal species (Tables 1 and 2).1,2 A central biochemical feature of prion diseases is the conversion of normal prion protein (PrP) to an abnormal, misfolded, pathogenic isoform designated PrPSc (named for "scrapie," the prototypic prion disease).

Seven immunologically distinct serotypes of Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) have been isolated (A, B, C1, D, E, F and G). Each BoNT holotoxin is a disulfide-bonded heterodimer composed of a zinc metallo-protease "light chain" (approximately 50 kD) and a receptor binding "heavy chain" (approximately 100 kD).