Suchergebnisse

An estimated 500,000 laboratory workers in the United States are at risk of exposure to infectious agents that cause disease ranging from inapparent to life-threatening infections, but the precise risk to a given worker unknown. The emergence of human immunodeficiency virus and hantavirus, the continuing problem of hepatitis B virus, and the reemergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have renewed interest in biosafety for the employees of laboratories and health care facilities. This review examines the history, the causes, and the methods for prevention of laboratory-associated infections. The initial step in a biosafety program is the assessment of risk to the employee. Risk assessment guidelines include the pathogenicity of the infectious agent, the method of transmission, worker-related risk factors, the source and route of infection, and the design of the laboratory facility. Strategies for the prevention and management of laboratory-associated infections are based on the containment of the infectious agent by physical separation from the laboratory worker and the environment, employee education about the occupational risks, and availability of an employee health program. Adherence to the biosafety guidelines mandated or proposed by various governmental and accrediting agencies reduces the risk of an occupational exposure to infectious agents handled in the workplace.

Viral vector research presents unique occupational health and safety challenges to institutions due to the rapid development of both in vivo and in vitro gene-editing technologies. Risks to human and animal health make it incumbent on institutions to appropriately evaluate viral vector usage in research on the basis of available information and governmental regulations and guidelines. Here we review the factors related to risk assessment regarding viral vector usage in animals and the relevant regulatory documents associated with this research, and we highlight the most commonly used viral vectors in research today. This review is particularly focused on the background, use in research and associated health and environmental risks related to adenoviral, adeno-associated viral, lentiviral, and herpesviral vectors.

Abstract
The paper aims to highlight the new indications introduced in the 4th edition of the "Laboratory Biosafety Manual" of World Health Organization. The authors propose a new vision to improve biosafety and biosecurity in the laboratory aligned with the technical standards ISO 35001:2019 "Biorisk management for laboratories and other related organizations" and ISO 45001:2018 "Occupational health and safety management systems—Requirements with guidelines for use" framework. The current edition has a more innovative approach compared to the previous ones, more attention is given to training awareness and providing skills, to promote the culture of safety by adopting an approach based on risk analysis, rather than the prescriptive approach that has been used previously.

Our firm conducted a risk/benefit assessment of "gain-of-function" research, as part of the deliberative process following a U.S. moratorium on the research (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Government Gain-of-Function Deliberative Process and Research Funding Pause on Selected Gain-of-Function Research Involving Influenza, MERS, and SARS Viruses, 2014).

Background: Biosafety is an important practice in all laboratory settings especially in developing countries where standard operating procedures are lacking. There is only limited information about biosafety practices in government hospital laboratories in Addis Ababa. Objective: To assess the situation of biosafety practice and associated factors in clinical laboratory workers among government Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Method: Cross-sectional study design was conducted from March to May 2014; in all government Hospitals of Addis Ababa. A total of 290 laboratory professionals were participated about their biosafety practice and its associated factors using structured questionnaire to assess the structural and functional aspects of Biosafety Practice of laboratories. Data were coded and entered by Epi Info and Exported to SPSS V.20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were also used to identify factors that affect the outcome variable and to examine the effect of selected variables on laboratory personnel practice toward biosafety practice by using Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% Confidence Interval. P- Value less than 0.05 were taken as statistically significant. Variables that were found with a statistically significant association (p<0.05) at bivariate logistic analysis were entered and analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: - In this study a total of 290 laboratory professionals were involved. Out of those subjects the biosafety practice rates of protective barrier were 76.2%. The major factor for biosafety practice were practice of performing a written procedure for the clean-up of spills (AOR=2.31; CI 1.21-4.42), those who were practice of decontamination and wastes before disposal (AOR=2.69; CI 1.49-4.86) and those who got information in Participating a biosafety practice (AOR=5.07; CI 1.66-15.52) Conclusion: - This study revealed that there is an achievement of a minimum requirement of biosafety practice among studied laboratory personnel. Practice of performing clean-up of spills, practice of decontamination and wastes before disposal and information in participating a biosafety practice are a significant association with biosafety practice.

TITLE: Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of laboratory personnel towards the biosafety measure for tuberculosis testing laboratory in selected health institution in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia By: - Henok Birhanu(Addis Ababa,2014) Background: Transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in health care settings to both patients and health care workers (HCWs) has been reported from virtually every country of the world and TB is the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide, after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is transmitted mainly through aerosolization of infected sputum which puts laboratory workers at risk in spite of the laboratory workers' risk of infection being at 3 to 9 times higher than the general public. Laboratory safety should therefore be prioritized and optimized to provide sufficient safety to laboratory workers. Objective: - To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of laboratory personnel on biosafety measure for Tb testing laboratories. Method: - A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from August 2013-May 2014 by using convenient sampling technique. A total of 126 laboratories professionals who have been working in Addis Ababa both governmental and private health institutions were enrolled. The data were collected by using well-structured questionnaires. Result: -In this study 126 laboratory professional were involved. Of them37.3% of were laboratory technician and 66.7% were male. Majority of them had <=5 years of work experience and 69.8% recruited from higher clinic. The overall knowledge, attitude and practice of the participant were 67.5%, 81.7% and 42.15 respectively. It was observed a major practice gap towards biosafety measure like only 17(13.5%) had directional air flow, 18(14.3%) had isolated lab,23(18.3%) had color coded plastic container for waste segregation,29(23%) had fire extinguisher,53(42.1) had restrict their lab access,15(11.9%) posted biohazard sign on the lab door,20(15.9%) had updated safety manual,34(27%) had trained on biosafety and only 32(5.4%) appointed biosafety officer. Level of knowledge had significance association with educational level (OR=0.211, 95CI=0.74-0.605, P-value=0.004). Degree holder had satisfactory knowledge as compared to diploma holder. But there were major gaps in practice. Further, the laboratory personnel work in health center had good practice as compared to private higher clinic (OR=6.951, 95%CI=2.773-17.424, P-value=0.000). Working in higher clinic had high risk of getting Tb infection Conclusion: - The study concluded that knowledge and attitude towards biosafety measure is good. However, The relatively good knowledge and attitude were not equally translated into practice. Lack of trained lab personnel and assigned safety officer had major contribution to had poor practice.

WOS: 000388677600001 ; PubMed ID: 27667586 ; In countries from which Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is absent, the causative virus, CCHF virus (CCHFV), is classified as a hazard group 4 agent and handled in containment level (CL)-4. In contrast, most endemic countries out of necessity have had to perform diagnostic tests under biosafety level (BSL)-2 or -3 conditions. In particular, Turkey and several of the Balkan countries have safely processed more than 100 000 samples over many years in BSL-2 laboratories. It is therefore advocated that biosafety requirements for CCHF diagnostic procedures should be revised, to allow the tests required to be performed under enhanced BSL-2 conditions with appropriate biosafety laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment used according to standardized protocols in the countries affected. Downgrading of CCHFV research work from CL-4, BSL-4 to CL-3, BSL-3 should also be considered. ; European Commission under Health Cooperation Work Program of 7th Framework Program [260427] ; Funding was received through CCH Fever Network (Collaborative Project) supported by the European Commission under the Health Cooperation Work Program of the 7th Framework Program (grant agreement no. 260427) (http://www.cch-fever.eu/). The views expressed by state-employed American co-authors are their personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of the US government agencies they work for. The views expressed by the ECDC coauthor are his personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of the European agency he is working for.

With increasing awareness regarding biorisk management worldwide, many biosafety laboratories are being setup in India. It is important for the facility users, project managers and the executing agencies to understand the process of validation and certification of such biosafety laboratories. There are some international guidelines available, but there are no national guidelines or reference standards available in India on certification and validation of biosafety laboratories. There is no accredited government/private agency available in India to undertake validation and certification of biosafety laboratories. Therefore, the reliance is mostly on indigenous experience, talent and expertise available, which is in short supply. This article elucidates the process of certification and validation of biosafety laboratories in a concise manner for the understanding of the concerned users and suggests the important parameters and criteria that should be considered and addressed during the laboratory certification and validation process.