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Coxiella burnetii is the etiologic agent of Q fever. C. burnetii is a bacterial obligate intracellular pathogen that undergoes its developmental cycle within an acidic vacuolar compartment exhibiting many characteristics of a phagolysosome.

Additional details about occupationally-acquired cases of parasitic infections, as well as recommendations for post exposure management, are provided elsewhere.1-3 Effective antimicrobial treatment is available for most parasitic infections.4 Immunocompromised persons should receive individualized counseling (specific to host and parasite factors) from their personal healthcare provider and their employer about the potential risks associated with working with live organisms.

Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungal pathogen existing in nature and in laboratory cultures at room temperature as a filamentous mold with asexual spores (conidia) that are the infectious particles; these convert to large budding yeasts under the appropriate culture conditions in vitro at 37°C and in the parasitic phase in vivo in warm-blooded animals. The sexual stage is an Ascomycete with infectious ascospores.

Bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive, non-hemolytic, and non-motile bacillus, is the etiologic agent of anthrax, an acute bacterial disease of mammals, including humans. Like all members of the genus Bacillus, under adverse conditions B. anthracis has the ability to produce spores that allow the organism to persist for long periods until the return of more favorable conditions.

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).

In 1979, the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses (ACAV) Subcommittee on Arbovirus Laboratory Safety (SALS) first provided biosafety recommendations for each of the 424 viruses then registered in the International Catalogue of Arboviruses, including Certain Other Viruses of Vertebrates.

Hantaviruses are negative sense RNA viruses belonging to the genus Hantavirus within the family Bunyaviridae. The natural hosts of hantaviruses are rodent species and they occur worldwide. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe disease caused by hantaviruses such as Sin Nombre virus or Andes virus whose hosts are rodents in the sub familySigmodontinae.

Viral vectors have become a staple of the molecular biology community. As such, it is important to understand the origins of these tools and potential implications of their use. The most commonly used viral vectors are outlined below. Included is information on virology, laboratory hazards, biological safety containment procedures, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), disinfection, and animal use procedures.

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 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.

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