VIDEO: Biosecurity Research Institute, Kansas State University #BRI

A continuación encontrarán una serie de 9 videos (total de 20 minutos) del Biosecurity Research Institute, Kansas State University. Una mirada a los programas de bioseguridad de esta universidad.

ONLINE COURSE: Build Security into Good Laboratory Practices #biosecurity #biocustodia

Curso Online Editado por el Centro de Control de Enfermedades. El curso contiene tres módulos:

• Bioseguridad y Biocustodia
• Evaluación de riesgo
• Desarrolla de un Plan de Biocustodia

Descripción del Curso

Este en curso contiene las claves principales para la seguridad de los agentes biológicos en laboratorios de investigación e instalaciones biomédicas, en los que el robo, pérdida, liberación o mal uso que los agentes pueden tener consecuencias económicas y en la salud pública. Este curso define el termino de biocustodia, marca las diferencias y similitudes entre bioseguridad y biocustodia, y discutes los componentes de un programa de biocustodia de laboratorio. Un programa exitoso de biocustodia debe tener apoyo completo de todos los niveles administrativos, debe ser específico al laboratorio, y estar basado en el entendimiento de las instalaciones y necesidades. Los programas de biocustodia deben aplicar las medidas de custodia correspondientes usando un enfoque clasificado para reducir los riesgos a un nivel aceptable.

ACCESO AL CURSO:
>>  Laboratory Biosecurity: Build Security into Good Laboratory Practices <<

Cabinas de Seguridad Biológica #WHO #CDC

Tengo aquí, tres documentos relacionados al uso de cabinas de seguridad biológica. El primero "Cabinas de seguridad biológica: uso, desinfección y mantenimiento" de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, es un libro muy completo que habla acerca de las características y buen uso de las cabinas. Después tengo el "Apéndice A" del Manual de Laboratorios Microbiológicos del CDC (BMBL5), y que complementa dicho manual. Finalmente, un pequeño texto sobre las recomendaciones para la "Colocación de Cabinas de Seguridad Biológicas en Laboratorios" y que puede ser de utilidad.

VIDEO: BSL3 inspection for select agents #biosecurity #CDC

Este video, en inglés, sirve con fines educativos para instituciones o individuos quienes poseen, almacenan o transfieren microorganismos controlados (Select Agents) y toxinas en Estados Unidos. Este video puede ser utilizado en programas de entrenamiento para personal o como herramienta para programas de entrenamiento. Puedes ver y descargar este y otros videos en: SelectAgents.Gov

BSL3 Inspection

Toxins Inspection

#WHO Laboratory Assesment Tool

El "Laboratory Assessment Tool.zip" ofrece una guía para evaluar laboratorios y sistemas nacionales. La audiencia blanco es cualquier persona que evalúa laboratorios: autoridades nacionales de salud, agencias multilaterales, organizaciones no gubernamentales (NGO´s), resposables de laboratorio, etc. Este documento describe los procesos generales para evaluar laboratorios y proporciona dos cuestionarios que ayudan a evaluar los sistemas de laboratorios nacionales (anexo 1) y laboratorios individuales (anexo 2). Los evaluadores pueden utilizar los cuestionarios tal y como se presentan o acondicionar los materiales disponibles para que cumplan con requerimientos locales o específicos y adecuarlos mejor al contexto de evaluación. Los cuestionarios se encuentran en formato PDF y pueden ser fácilmente impresos, y en archivos Excel que permiten calculos matemáticos automáticos de indicadores cuando se responde a las preguntas y el análisis de datos. Pueden descargar el Archivo ZIP o descargar los archivos individuales.
Publication details:
Number of pages: 35
Publication date: 2012
Languages: English
WHO reference number: WHO/HSE/GCR/LYO/2012.2

Microbial aerosol generation during laboratory accidents

Aim: To quantify microbial aerosols generated by a series of laboratory accidents and to use these data in risk assessment.
Methods and Results: A series of laboratory accident scenarios have been devised and the microbial aerosol generated by them has been measured using a range of microbial air samplers. The accident scenarios generating the highest aerosol concentrations were, dropping a fungal plate, dropping a large bottle, centrifuge rotor leaks and a blocked syringe filter. Many of these accidents generated low particle size aerosols, which would be inhaled into the lungs of any exposed laboratory staff. Spray factors (SFs) have been calculated using the results of these experiments as an indicator of the potential for accidents to generate microbial aerosols. Model risk assessments have been described using the SF data.
Conclusions: Quantitative risk assessment of laboratory accidents can provide data that can aid the design of containment laboratories and the response to laboratory accidents.
Significance and Impact of the Study: A methodology has been described and supporting data provided to allow microbiological safety officers to carry out quantitative risk assessment of laboratory accidents.

Reference:
A. Bennett & S. Parks. Microbial aerosol generation during laboratory accidents and subsequent risk assessment. Journal of Applied Microbiology 100 (2006) 658–663.

Donación de un libro

Tenemos 3 copias duras (libros impresos) del libro "Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences", donados por el National Research Council que pondremos obsequiar a las bibliotecas de 3 instituciones públicas, que tengan laboratorios de investigación biomédica. Para lo cual, solicitamos que nos envíen su solicitud, firmada y sellada, con el Vo.Bo. del bibliotecario de su institución al correo electrónico del blogbioseguridad@gmail.com.
Este libro se encuentra disponible también en formato PDF.
Les daremos prioridad a las instituciones mexicanas, pero podrá tomarse en consideración la solicitud de algun país de habla hispana que desee contar con el libro.
Si quieres apoyar el programa "Dona un libro", por favor revisa las instrucciones.
El libro se enviará por correo regular, por lo que el libro lo recibirán a finales de Noviembre.

Biocontainment in Gain-of-Function Infectious Disease Research

The discussion of H5N1 influenza virus gain-of-function research has focused chiefly on its risk-to-benefit ratio. Another key component of risk is the level of containment employed. Work is more expensive and less efficient when pursued at biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) than at BSL-3 or at BSL-3 as modified for work with agricultural pathogens (BSL-3-Ag). However, here too a risk-to-benefit ratio analysis is applicable. BSL-4 procedures mandate daily inspection of facilities and equipment, monitoring of personnel for signs and symptoms of disease, and logs of dates and times that personnel, equipment, supplies, and samples enter and exit containment. These measures are not required at BSL-3 or BSL-3-Ag. Given the implications of inadvertent or deliberate release of high-threat pathogens with pandemic potential, it is imperative that the World Health Organization establish strict criteria for biocontainment that can be fairly applied in the developing world, as well as in more economically developed countries.
Referencia
Lipkin WI. Biocontainment in Gain-of-Function Infectious Disease Research. MBio. 2012 Oct 9;3(5). pii: e00290-12. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00290-12. PMID: 23047747

Rethinking biosafety in research on potential pandemic pathogens

If accidentally released, mammalian-transmissible influenza A/H5N1 viruses could pose a greater threat to public health than possibly any other infectious agent currently under study in laboratories, because of such viruses' likely combination of transmissibility and virulence to humans. We advocate explicit risk-benefit assessments before work on such pathogens is permitted or funded, improvement of biosafety practices and enforcement, and harmonization of criteria for permitting such experiments across government agencies, as well as internationally. Such potential pandemic pathogens, as they have been called, jeopardize not only laboratory workers and their contacts, but also the wider population, who should be involved in assessments of when such risks are acceptable in the service of scientific knowledge that may itself bear major public health benefits.
Referencia:
Lipsitch M, Bloom BR. Rethinking biosafety in research on potential pandemic pathogens. MBio. 2012 Oct 9;3(5). pii: e00360-12. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00360-12. PMID: 23047752

NOM-007-SSA3-2011

El 27/03/2012 se publicó en el Diario Oficial de la Federación la nueva NOM-007-SSA3-2011, Para la organización y funcionamiento de los laboratorios clínicos
Para quienes no la han revisado, pueden verla en:
http://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5240925&fecha=27/03/2012

Trends Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention

Excerpt

The potential dual use of life sciences knowledge, tools, and techniques reinforces the need for the scientific community to be aware of the norms of responsible and appropriate scientific conduct, as well as international and national legal requirements. Over the past decade, national and international scientific organizations having become increasingly engaged in issues related to the responsibilities of the scientific community to help reduce the risks of misuse of life sciences research (Bowman et al., 2011; IAP, 2005; NRC, 2004, 2006a, 2009a, c, 2011a; OECD, 2004; Royal Society and Wellcome Trust, 2004; WHO, 2005, 2007a). Scientists can also play a useful role in communicating with policy makers and civil society to help them understand the nature, applications, and potential positive and negative implications of developments in their field. Perspectives from the scientific community can contribute to discussions of how to create the best mix of policies and practices to achieve safety and security without unduly hampering global scientific progress for beneficial applications. This is the motivation and foundation for the workshop and the committee's report.

Trends Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention    PDF
National Research Council (US) Committee on Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention: An International Workshop.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011.
ISBN-13: 978-0-309-21071-3
ISBN-10: 0-309-21071-2

EuroNHID Survey: Capabilities in 48 isolation facilities

BACKGROUND: Highly infectious diseases (HIDs) are defined as being transmissible from person to person, causing life-threatening illnesses and presenting a serious public health hazard. The sampling, handling and transport of specimens from patients with HIDs present specific bio-safety concerns.
FINDINGS: The European Network for HID project aimed to record, in a cross-sectional study, the infection control capabilities of referral centers for HIDs across Europe and assesses the level of achievement to previously published guidelines. In this paper, we report the current diagnostic capabilities and bio-safety measures applied to diagnostic procedures in these referral centers. Overall, 48 isolation facilities in 16 European countries were evaluated. Although 81% of these referral centers are located near a biosafety level 3 laboratory, 11% and 31% of them still performed their microbiological and routine diagnostic analyses, respectively, without bio-safety measures.
CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies among the referral centers surveyed between the level of practices and the European Network of Infectious Diseases (EUNID) recommendations have multiple reasons of which the interest of the individuals in charge and the investment they put in preparedness to emerging outbreaks. Despite the fact that the less prepared centers can improve by just updating their practice and policies any support to help them to achieve an acceptable level of biosecurity is welcome.
PMID: 23009598
REFERENCE: Thiberville SD, et. al. Diagnostic issues and capabilities in 48 isolation facilities in 16 European countries: data from EuroNHID surveys. BMC Res Notes. 2012 Sep 25;5(1):527.

#ABSA Orlando 2012, American Biological Safety Asociation

Early Registration Discounts End Today!

Leaders in the field of biosafety will be meeting in Orlando, Florida from October 19-24, 2012 for the 55th Annual Biological Safety Conference. Three days of preconference courses will continue to offer ABSA's highly regarded education programs for all levels of biosafety experience covering topics from aerobiology to virology. This year's scientific program will also include a Town Hall Meeting on the new select agent regulations. Make sure you arrange your travel so you don't miss the Wednesday afternoon Mock IBC session. Discounts for early registration will end on September 28, 2012. Registration is open and spaces are filling quickly. Reserve your seat!
http://www.absaconference.org.

Low-temperature decontamination with hydrogen peroxide or chlorine dioxide for space applications

Abstract:
The currently used microbial decontamination method for spacecraft and components uses dry-heat microbial reduction at temperatures of >110°C for extended periods to prevent the contamination of extraplanetary destinations. This process is effective and reproducible, but it is also long and costly and precludes the use of heat-labile materials. The need for an alternative to dry-heat microbial reduction has been identified by space agencies. Investigations assessing the biological efficacy of two gaseous decontamination technologies, vapor hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide, were undertaken in a 20-m(3) exposure chamber. Five spore-forming Bacillus spp. were exposed on stainless steel coupons to vaporized hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide gas. Exposure for 20 min to vapor hydrogen peroxide resulted in 6- and 5-log reductions in the recovery of Bacillus atrophaeus and Geobacillus stearothermophilus, respectively. However, in comparison, chlorine dioxide required an exposure period of 60 min to reduce both B. atrophaeus and G. stearothermophilus by 5 logs. Of the three other Bacillus spp. tested, Bacillus thuringiensis proved the most resistant to hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide with D values of 175.4 s and 6.6 h, respectively. Both low-temperature decontamination technologies proved effective at reducing the Bacillus spp. tested within the exposure ranges by over 5 logs, with the exception of B. thuringiensis, which was more resistant to both technologies. These results indicate that a review of the indicator organism choice and loading could provide a more appropriate and realistic challenge for the sterilization procedures used in the space industry.


Reference:
Pottage T, Macken S, Giri K, Walker JT, Bennett AM. Low-temperature decontamination with hydrogen peroxide or chlorine dioxide for space applications. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Jun;78(12):4169-74.

USDA ARS 2nd International Biosafety and Biocontainment Symposium

February 4-7, 2013

Hilton Alexandria Mark Center                         

Registration Now Open!

ABSA will be the managing partner of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) 2nd International Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium - Agriculture Research and Response for Field and Lab. The Symposium will be held February 4-7, 2013, in Alexandria Virginia at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The Symposium will include ten pre-symposium courses and 2½ days of scientific presentations. There will also be exhibits showcasing the latest agricultural biosafety and biocontainment products and services. Registration, sponsors, and details for this event are available at http://arssymposium.absa.org.
Pre-Symposium Courses: (4 hours each)
Plant Pathology 101: Introduction of Principles on Plant Pathology

Program Outline (Subject to Change)

Pre-symposium Courses: (4 hours each)

Monday February 4, 2013

• Plant Pathology 101
• Plant Containment
• Intro to APHIS regulatory oversight
• APHIS Permitting
• Integrated Pest Management & Biocontrol
• Agrodefense
• FBI Biosecurity for Lab Research
• GMO – International Perspective on Biological Safety
• Biocontainment Techniques beyond the Biosafety Cabinet
• Food Defense

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

• Session I – Food Safety, Defense, and Security Research and Biosafety/Biocontainment Challenges
• Session II – Containment and Research Challenges for Work on Plant Pathogens, Pests, GMOs, and Biocontrol AgentsWednesday, February 6, 2013

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

• Session III – Regulatory and Oversight Issues
• Session IV – LAIs

Thursday, February 7, 2013

• Session V – Animal Health

The Symposium will consist of sessions covering a variety of topics including containment and security challenges, GMOs, and agroterrorism. There will be a roundtable discussion on the culture of responsibility and security and another on LAIs and break in containment. Keynote speakers will open the program on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In addition to the valuable courses and sessions, you will have the opportunity to network with professionals from the biosafety and scientific research industries, organizations, and agencies.
Register soon as space is limited. http://arssymposium.absa.org

Pulmonary and heart rate responses to wearing N95 filtering facepiece respirators

rkb.us

BACKGROUND: Filtering facepiece respirators are the most common respirator worn by US health care and industrial workers, yet little is known on the physiologic impact of wearing this protective equipment.
METHODS: Twenty young, healthy subjects exercised on a treadmill at a low-moderate (5.6 km/h) work rate while wearing 4 different models of N95 filtering facepiece respirators for 1 hour each, 2 models of which were equipped with exhalation valves, while being monitored for physiologic variables.
RESULTS: Compared with controls, respirator use was associated with mean 1 hour increases in heart rate (range, 5.7-10.6 beats per minute, P < .001), respiratory rate (range, 1.4-2.4 breaths per minute, P < .05), and transcutaneous carbon dioxide (range, 1.7-3.0 mm Hg, P < .001). No significant differences in oxygen saturation between controls and respirators were noted (P > .05).
CONCLUSION: The pulmonary and heart rate responses to wearing a filtering facepiece respirator for 1 hour at a low-moderate work rate are relatively small and should generally be well tolerated by healthy persons.
Reference
Kim JH, Benson SM, Roberge RJ. Pulmonary and heart rate responses to wearing N95 filtering facepiece respirators. Am J Infect Control. 2012 Aug 31.

Establishing a laboratory network of influenza diagnosis in Indonesia

topnews.in

Abstract
Indonesia has been part of the global influenza surveillance since the establishment of a National Influenza Center (NIC) at the National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD) by the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 1975. When the outbreak of avian influenza A (H5N1) occurred, the NIC and US Naval Medical Research Unit 2 were the only diagnostic laboratories equipped for etiology confirmation. The large geographical area of the Republic of Indonesia poses a real challenge to provide prompt and accurate diagnosis nationally. This was the main reason to establish a laboratory network for H5N1 diagnosis in Indonesia. Currently, 44 laboratories have been included in the network capable of performing polymerase chain reaction testing for influenza A. Diagnostic equipment and standard procedures of biosafety and biosecurity of handling specimens have been adopted largely from World Health Organization recommendations.
Reference:

Setiawaty V, Pangesti KN, Sampurno OD. Establishing a laboratory network of influenza diagnosis in Indonesia: an experience from the avian flu (H5N1) outbreak. Clin Epidemiol. 2012;4:209-12. Epub 2012 Aug 15.

#Toxoplasmosis no es un virus, es un parásito @quien

wikimedia.org

Cuando leo noticias como que Shakira tiene toxoplasmosis, pues digo, pobre chica, ojalá la atienda un buen infectólogo. Pero cuando el titular de la noticia dice que la toxoplasmosis es un virus, me entra la extrema urgencia de hacer post en el blog y aclarar el asunto. Los virus y los parásitos tienen un mundo de diferencia en sus estructuras, aunque los dos dependen de un huésped. Los virus solo pueden vivir y reproducirse dentro de una célula, a diferencia de los parásitos que tienen sus propias células y ocasionalmente requieren estadios en células u órganos. Además, los virus son extremadamente pequeños en comparación con los parásitos, y genéticamente los parásitos son cientos de veces mas complejos que los virus. En específico, la toxoplasmosis o Toxoplasma gondii ocasiona una enfermedad que puede ser fatal en humanos, y que infecta también a gatos, convirtiéndolos en huéspedes y fuentes de transmisión, aunque la principal fuente de infección son los alimentos mal lavados y el consumo de carne mal cocida. Algunos de los síntomas pueden consultarse en la página de Medline sobre toxoplasmosis. Las hojas de seguridad de microorganismos de Health Canada las pueden ver en: toxoplasmosis.

Guideline for Microbial Risk Assessment

DESCARGAR

Scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and joined by scientists from other federal agencies developed the Guideline for Microbial Risk Assessment: Pathogenic Microorganisms with Focus on Food and Water (231 pp, 1.24Mb). This document provides a common framework to perform microbial risk assessment (MRA). It lays out a flexible set of approaches, methods, and tools for use to conduct their microbial risk assessment and provide more transparency to the process and results. This guideline addresses issues specific to microbial risk, e.g., secondary transmission, immune status, and growth and die-off of organisms, as well as addressing concepts generic to classical chemical risk assessment.

#WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care

Overview. The WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care provide health-care workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to improve practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and HCWs. The present guidelines are intended to be implemented in any situation in which health care is delivered either to a patient or to a specific group in a population. Therefore, this concept applies to all settings where health care is permanently or occasionally performed, such as home care by birth attendants. Definitions of health-care settings are proposed in Appendix 1.

DESCARGAR

Curso sobre control de infecciones hospitalarias UVG

El Centro de Estudios en Salud de la Universidad del Valle de Guatemala y la oficina Regional para Centro América y Panamá del CDC desarrollaron un curso en línea sobre el control de infecciones en hospitales que pueden ver en las siguientes ligas.
El menú con los cursos.
Curso de control de infecciones.

Recommendations for the Management of #Hepatitis B Virus–Infected Health-Care Providers and Students

The primary goal of this report is to promote patient safety while providing risk management and practice guidance to HBVinfected health-care providers and students, particularly those performing exposure-prone procedures such as certain types of surgery. Because percutaneous injuries sustained by health-care personnel during certain surgical, obstetrical, and dental procedures provide a potential route of HBV transmission to patients as well as providers, this report emphasizes prevention of operator injuries and blood exposures during exposure-prone surgical, obstetrical, and dental procedures.
References:

• Holmberg SD, Suryaprasad S & Ward JW. Updated CDC Recommendations for the Management of Hepatitis B Virus–Infected Health-Care Providers and Students. MMWR 2012 Vol. 61 / No. 3.

• Erratum Vol. 61, No. RR-3

In the MMWR Recommendations and Reports “Updated CDC Recommendations for the Management of Hepatitis B Virus–Infected Health-Care Providers and Students,” an error occurred on page 4 in the second sentence of the section headed “Treatments for Chronic Hepatitis B Infection.” The sentence should read, “Currently, seven therapeutic agents are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, including two formulations of interferon (interferon alpha and pegylated interferon) and five nucleoside or nucleotide analogs (lamuvidine, telbivudine, adefovir, entecavir, and tenofovir).”

Lista de antineoplásicos y otras substancias peligrosas en hospitales #NIOSH 2012

IR A NIOSH DOCUMENT

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Alert: Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings was published in September 2004. In Appendix A of the Alert, NIOSH identified a sample list of major hazardous drugs. The list was compiled from information provided by four institutions that have generated lists of hazardous drugs for their respective facilities and by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) from the American Hospital Formulary Service Drug Information (AHFS DI) monographs [ASHP/AHFS DI 2003]. The 2004 list was updated in 2010; this update adds 26 drugs to the 2010 list. These additions are new drugs or existing drugs that had new warnings from 2007 to 2009. 
Referencias: 

• Preventing Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings 2004
• NIOSH List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings 2012 

MAP: Vaccine preventable Outbreaks

http://www.cfr.org/interactives/GH_Vaccine_Map/index.html#intro

Antrax en usuarios de heroina

Wikipedia

El ántrax (o carbunco) es una enfermedad infecciosa, aguda y grave producida por el Bacillus antrhacis, y cuya severidad se establece dependiendo de la vía de entrada al individuo afectado. Las esporas han sido utilizadas como armas biológicas. Sin embargo, es un microorganismo que sobrevive en el ambiente, por lo que los animales pueden comer pastura contaminada y enfermarse, o convertirse en reservorios para la diseminación de la bacteria. 

En Junio de 2012 se describieron dos casos de ánthrax en usuarios de heroína en Alemania, y en ese momento se desconocía el origen de la infección. Para el 10 de Julio de 2012, se han descrito 5 casos en total, incluyendo uno en Francia y uno en Dinamarca, y entre los cuales ya se cuenta una muerte. En uno de los casos, no se ha demostrado el consumo de heroína. Se cree que la heroína, prohibida en Europa, fué introducida de contrabando y que en algún momento estuvo en contacto con animales o pastura contaminada. Un caso complicado, ya que en este momento se han emitido boletines de alerta epidemiológica y policiaca, y varios organismos Europeos están en la búsqueda de la fuente para evitar nuevos casos, incluyendo la EUROPOL (European Law Enforcement Agency) y el ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). Una de las recomendaciones es que los usuarios de heroína no la utilicen, una medida que las mismas agencias reconocen será difícil de cumplir. Es posible que si los contrabandistas de heroína siguen almacenando en los mismos sitios, o transportandola en los mismos vehículos, se sigan presentando nuevos casos. Ya se han descrito casos de Anthrax en usuarios de heroína en otros países, como en Escocia.

Referencias

• Anthrax cases among injecting drug users Germany

• RAPID RISK ASSESSMENT: Anthrax cases among injecting drug users Germany, June-July 2012

• Bacillus anthracis - Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)