The Biosafety Research Road Map: The Search for Evidence to Support Practices in the Laboratory— Bacillus anthracis and Brucella melitensis

Blacksell, Stuart D.; Dhawan, Sandhya; Kusumoto, Marina; Le, Kim Khanh; Summermatter, Kathrin; O'Keefe, Joseph; Kozlovac, Joseph; Almuhairi, Salama Suhail; Sendow, Indrawati; Scheel, Christina M.; Ahumibe, Anthony; Masuku, Zibusiso M.; Bennett, Allan M.; Kojima, Kazunobu; Harper, David R.; Hamilton, Keith (2023). The Biosafety Research Road Map: The Search for Evidence to Support Practices in the Laboratory— Bacillus anthracis and Brucella melitensis. Applied biosafety, 28(2), pp. 72-86. Mary Ann Liebert 10.1089/apb.2022.0042

[img]
Preview
Text
apb.2022.0042.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY).

Download (310kB) | Preview

Introduction:Brucella melitensis and Bacillus anthracis are zoonoses transmitted from animals and animal products. Scientific information is provided in this article to support biosafety precautions necessary to protect laboratory workers and individuals who are potentially exposed to these pathogens in the workplace or other settings, and gaps in information are also reported. There is a lack of information on the appropriate effective concentration for many chemical disinfectants for this agent. Controversies related to B. anthracis include infectious dose for skin and gastrointestinal infections, proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the slaughter of infected animals, and handling of contaminated materials. B. melitensis is reported to have the highest number of laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) to date in laboratory workers.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify potential gaps in biosafety and focused on five main sections including the route of inoculation/modes of transmission, infectious dose, LAIs, containment releases, and disinfection and decontamination strategies.

Results: Scientific literature currently lacks information on the effective concentration of many chemical disinfectants for this agent and in the variety of matrices where it may be found. Controversies related to B. anthracis include infectious dose for skin and gastrointestinal infections, proper use of PPE during the slaughter of infected animals, and handling contaminated materials.

Discussion: Clarified vulnerabilities based on specific scientific evidence will contribute to the prevention of unwanted and unpredictable infections, improving the biosafety processes and procedures for laboratory staff and other professionals such as veterinarians, individuals associated with the agricultural industry, and those working with susceptible wildlife species.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Review Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases > Clinical Microbiology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases > General Bacteriology

UniBE Contributor:

Summermatter, Kathrin

Subjects:

500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

1535-6760

Publisher:

Mary Ann Liebert

Language:

English

Submitter:

Katharina Summermatter

Date Deposited:

14 Jun 2023 08:10

Last Modified:

08 May 2024 11:32

Publisher DOI:

10.1089/apb.2022.0042

PubMed ID:

37342513

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/183389

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/183389

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback