Scientific communication, collaboration and progress are enhanced through the exchange of data, materials and ideas. Recent advances in technology, commercial proprietary discovery and current local and global events (e.g., emerging human, animal and plant disease outbreaks) have increased the demand, and shortened optimal timelines for material and data exchange, both domestically and internationally. Specific circumstances in each case, such as the type of material being transferred (i.e., select agent, disease-causing agent and assessed biosafety risk level) and current events, dictate the level of agreements and requirements. Recent lessons learned from emerging disease issues and emergencies have demonstrated that human engagement and increased science diplomacy are needed to reinforce and sustain biosafety and biosecurity practices and processes, for better scientific transparency. A reasonable and accepted framework of guidance for open sharing of data and materials is needed that can be applied on multiple cooperative levels, including global and national. Although numerous agreement variations already exist for the exchange of materials and data, regulations to guide the development of both the language and implementation of such agreements are limited. Without such regulations, scientific exchange is often restricted, limiting opportunities for international capacity building, collaboration and cooperation. In this article, we present and discuss several international case histories that illustrate the complex nature of scientific exchange. Recommendations are made for a dual bottom-up and top-down approach that includes all stakeholders from beginning negotiation stages to emphasize trust and cooperation. The broader aim of this approach is to increase international scientific transparency and trust in a safe and open manner, supporting increased global one health security. REFERENCE: Yeh KB, Monagin C, Fletcher J. Promoting Scientific Transparency to Facilitate the Safe and Open International Exchange of Biological Materials and Electronic Data. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2017 Oct 31;2(4). pii: E57. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed2040057. PubMed PMID: 30270914; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6082060. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sigue este Blog en Facebook y Twitter Ayúdanos a traducir las fichas de seguridad de microorganismos. www.seguridadbiologica.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------------------------- […]

Regular review of the management of bioterrorism is essential for maintaining readiness for these sporadically occurring events. This review provides an overview of the history of biological disasters and bioterrorism. I also discuss the recent recategorization of tier 1 agents by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Laboratory Response Network (LRN), and specific training and readiness processes and programs, such as the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Laboratory Preparedness Exercise (LPX). LPX examined the management of cultivable bacterial vaccine and attenuated strains of tier 1 agents or close mimics. In the LPX program, participating laboratories showed improvement in the level of diagnosis required and referral of isolates to an appropriate reference laboratory. Agents which proved difficult to manage in sentinel laboratories included the more fastidious Gram-negative organisms, especially Francisella tularensis and Burkholderia spp. The recent Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic provided a check on LRN safety processes. Specific guidelines and recommendations for laboratory safety and risk assessment in the clinical microbiology are explored so that sentinel laboratories can better prepare for the next biological disaster. REFERENCE: Wagar E. Bioterrorism and the Role of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2016 Jan;29(1):175-89. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00033-15. Review. PubMed PMID: 26656673; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4771219. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sigue este Blog en Facebook y Twitter Ayúdanos a traducir las fichas de seguridad de microorganismos. www.seguridadbiologica.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------------------------- […]

[Fragment] The report of the construction of an infectious horsepox virus from synthesized DNA by Noyce, Lederman, and Evans [1] raised considerable concerns about whether this study will facilitate the construction of smallpox virus (variola) using synthetic biology [2–5]. This is a valid concern, but for a number of reasons—as explained below—no major change concerning the likelihood of a “resurrection” of smallpox emerges from this publication. Having said this, it is also evident that the scientific community, politicians, decision makers, and the lay public have to continue, and probably intensify, a discussion on benefits and risks of synthetic biology in a broader sense. REFERENCE: Thiel V. Synthetic viruses-Anything new? PLoS Pathog. 2018 Oct 4;14(10):e1007019. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007019. eCollection 2018 Oct. PubMed PMID: 30286176. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sigue este Blog en Facebook y Twitter Ayúdanos a traducir las fichas de seguridad de microorganismos. www.seguridadbiologica.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------------------------- […]

Biological threats posed by pathogens such as Ebola virus must be quickly diagnosed, while protecting the safety of personnel. Scanning electron microscopy and microanalysis requires minimal specimen preparation and can help to identify hazardous agents or substances. Here we report a compact biosafety system for rapid imaging and elemental analysis of specimens, including powders, viruses and bacteria, which is easily transportable to the site of an incident. REFERENCE: Beniac DR, Hiebert SL, Siemens CG, Corbett CR, Booth TF. A mobile biosafety microanalysis system for infectious agents. Sci Rep. 2015 Mar 30;5:9505. doi: 10.1038/srep09505. PubMed PMID: 25820944; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4377622. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sigue este Blog en Facebook y Twitter Ayúdanos a traducir las fichas de seguridad de microorganismos.www.seguridadbiologica.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------------------------- […]

The action of checking or proving the validity or accuracy of something. Validated procedures for decontamination of laboratory surfaces and equipment are essential to biosafety and biorisk programs at high-containment laboratories. Each high-containment laboratory contains a unique combination of surfaces, procedures, and biological agents that require decontamination methods tailored to specific facility practices. The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a high-containment laboratory operating multiple biosafety level (BSL)-3, ABSL-3, and BSL-3 Ag spaces. The PIADC facility requires the use of federally issued smart cards, called personal identity verification (PIV) cards, to access information technology (IT) networks both outside and within the high-containment laboratory. Because PIV cards may require transit from the BSL-3 to office spaces, a validated procedure for disinfecting PIV card surfaces prior to removal from the laboratory is critical to ensure biosafety and biosecurity. Two high-risk select agents used in the PIADC high-containment laboratory are foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV). We evaluated disinfection of PIV cards intentionally spotted with FMDV and SVDV using a modified quantitative carrier test and the liquid chemical disinfectant Virkon® S. Our experimental design modeled a worst-case scenario of PIV card contamination and disinfection by combining high concentrations of virus dried with an organic soil load and use of aged Virkon® S prepared in hard water. Results showed that FMDV and SVDV dried on PIV card surfaces were completely inactivated after immersion for 30 and 60 seconds, respectively, in a 5-day-old solution of 1% Virkon® S. Therefore, this study provided internal validation of PIADC biosafety protocols by demonstrating the efficacy of Virkon® S to inactivate viruses on contaminated smart cards at short contact times. REFERENCE: Gabbert, Lindsay R. et al. “Smart Card Decontamination in a High-Containment Laboratory.” Health Security 16.4 (2018): 244–251. PMC. Web. 1 Oct. 2018. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sigue este Blog en Facebook y Twitter Ayúdanos a traducir las fichas de seguridad de microorganismos. www.seguridadbiologica.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------------------------- […]