| Biosafety in Biomedical and Microbiological Laboratories If disease causing organisms that effect public health are required to be handled with biosafety level 2 practices in the laboratory setting, how can the same disease organisms be safe in reclaimed irrigation water and sludge biosolids spread on crops, school grounds, and home lawns? Also see MSDS page http://bmbl.od.nih.gov/sect2.ht Biosafety Level 2 practices, equipment, and facility design and construction are applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, and other laboratories in which work is done with the broad spectrum of indigenous moderate-risk agents that are present in the community and associated with human disease of varying severity. With good microbiological techniques, these agents can be used safely in activities conducted on the open bench, provided the potential for producing splashes or aerosols is low. Hepatitis B virus, HIV, the salmonellae, and Toxoplasma spp. are representative of microorganisms assigned to this containment level. Biosafety Level 2 is appropriate when work is done with any human-derived blood, body fluids, tissues, or primary human cell lines where the presence of an infectious agent may be unknown. (Laboratory personnel working with human-derived materials should refer to the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard(2)for specific required precautions.) Primary hazards to personnel working with these agents relate to accidental percutaneous or mucous membrane exposures, or ingestion of infectious materials. Extreme caution should be taken with contaminated needles or sharp instruments. Even though organisms routinely manipulated at Biosafety Level 2 are not known to be transmissible by the aerosol route, procedures with aerosol or high splash potential that may increase the risk of such personnel exposure must be conducted in primary containment equipment, or in devices such as a BSC or safety centrifuge cups. Other primary barriers should be used as appropriate, such as splash shields, face protection, gowns, and gloves. Secondary barriers such as handwashing sinks and waste decontamination facilities must be available to reduce potential environmental contamination. Section VII Agent Summary Statements Bacterial Agents Bacillus anthracis Bordetella pertussis Brucella (B. abortus, B. canis, B. melitensis, B. suis) Burkholderia pseudomallei (Pseudomonas pseudomallei) Campylobacter (C. jejuni/C. coli, C. fetus subsp. fetus) Chlamydia psittaci, C. pneumoniae, C. trachomatis Clostridium botulinum Clostridium tetani Corynebacterium diphtheriae Escherichia coli (Cytotoxin-producing (VTEC/SLT) organisms) (Fecal Coliform) Francisella tularensis Helicobacter pylori Leptospira interrogans - all serovars Listeria monocytogenes Legionella pneumophila ; other Legionella-like agents Mycobacterium leprae Mycobacterium spp. other than M. tuberculosis, M. bovis or M. leprae Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bovis Neisseria gonorrhoeae Neisseria meningitidis Salmonella - all serotypes except typhi (Coliform) Salmonella typhi (Coliform) Shigella spp. (Coliform) Treponema pallidum Vibrionic enteritis (Vibrio cholerae, V. para-haemolyticus) (Coliform) Yersinia pestis (Coliform) Fungal Agents Blastomyces dermatitidis Coccidioides immitis Cryptococcus neoformans Histoplasma capsulatum Sporothrix schenckii Pathogenic Members of the Genera Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton Miscellaneous Molds Parasitic Agents Blood and Tissue Protozoal Parasites of Humans Intestinal Protozoal Parasites of Humans Trematode Parasites of Humans (Schistosoma spp. and Fasciola spp.) Cestode Parasites of Humans - Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia solium (cysticercus cellulosae) and Hymenolepis nana. Nematode Parasites of Humans Prions Rickettsial Agents Coxiella burnetii Rickettsia prowazekii, Rickettsia typhi (R. mooseri), Orientia (Rickettsia) tsutsugamushi and Spotted Fever Group agents of human disease; Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia conorii, Rickettsia akari, Rickettsia australis, Rickettsia siberica, and Rickettsia japonicum Viral Agents (other than arboviruses) Hantaviruses Hendra and Hendra-like Viruses (includes virus formerly known as Equine Morbillivirus Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus (formerly known as nonA nonB Virus), Hepatitis D Virus Herpesvirus simiae (Cercopithecine herpesvirus [CHV-1], B-virus) Human Herpesviruses Influenza Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Poliovirus Poxviruses Rabies Virus Retroviruses, including Human and Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV and SIV) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (Creutzfeldt-Jakob, kuru and related agents Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Top BMBL Table of Contents CDC Home Page NIH Home Page This page last reviewed: June 17, 1999 For information about this site, please contact DS Web Coordinator, KH21K@nih.gov National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 |