#WEBINAR: Contención biológica: barreras primarias y secundarias

REGISTRO:  https://goo.gl/9AbpFT

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Does #influenza pandemic preparedness and mitigation require gain‐of‐function research?

The risk and benefits of gain‐of‐function studies on influenza A have been widely debated since 2012 when the methods to create two respiratory transmissible H5N1 mutant isolates were published. Opponents of gain‐of‐function studies argue the biosecurity risk is unacceptable, while proponents cite potential uses for pandemic surveillance, preparedness and mitigation. In this commentary, we provide an overview of the background and applications of gain‐of‐function research and argue that the anticipated benefits have yet to materialize while the significant risks remain.
REFERENCE:
Adam, Dillon C. et al. “Does Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Mitigation Require Gain‐of‐function Research?” Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 11.4 (2017): 306–310.

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Liquid Stressed Protective Materials and Environmental Persistence of #Ebola Virus

After the largest Ebola virus outbreak in history, experts have attempted to answer how the Zaire ebolavirus species emerged in West Africa and caused chains of human-to-human transmission. The widespread and untimely infection of Health Care Workers (HCW) in the affected countries accelerated spread of the virus within the community. Among the reasons attributed to this trend, it must be considered that HCW were exposed to the virus in their occupational environment. The contribution of environmental conditions to the spread of Ebola in West Africa was examined by investigating the effect of temperature/humidity on the virus’s environmental persistence and by modeling if saturation (liquid stress) allows for penetration of Ebola virus through personal protective equipment (PPE). Ebola-Makona virus persisted on PPE and materials found in outbreak settings for less than 72 hours at 27 °C and 80% relative humidity (RH). A difference in virus penetration was observed between dry (5%, 1/21 tests) and saturated (33%, 7/21 tests) samples of PPE. Infectious virus particles penetrated through saturated coupons of Tyvek Micro Clean, Tychem QC, whole surgical masks and N95 respirators. These findings suggest inclusion of saturation or similar liquid stress simulation in protective equipment testing standards.
REFERENCE:
Nikiforuk, Aidan M. et al. “Challenge of Liquid Stressed Protective Materials and Environmental Persistence of Ebola Virus.” Scientific Reports 7 (2017): 4388.

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A Modular High #Biosafety Field Laboratory in Sierra Leona for #Ebola

In response to Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa established a modular high-biosafety field Ebola diagnostic laboratory (FEDL) near Freetown, Sierra Leone. This was the sole diagnostic capacity available to respond to the overwhelming demand for Ebola diagnosis for several weeks in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. The deployment of the FEDL capacity contributed to the overall international efforts in bringing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa under control.

REFERENCE:
Paweska, Janusz T. et al. “South African Ebola Diagnostic Response in Sierra Leone: A Modular High Biosafety Field Laboratory.” Ed. Manuel Schibler. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 11.6 (2017): e0005665. PMC. Web. 7 Aug. 2017.

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Characterisation of clinically relevant bacteria isolated from dental waste and waste workers' hands, mucosas and coats

Infectious wastes are potential sources of pathogenic microorganisms, which may represent a risk to the professionals who manage them. In this study we aimed to characterize the infectious bacteria present in dental waste and waste workers. The dental waste produced over 24 hours was collected and waste workers were sampled by swabbing. Isolate resistance profiles were characterized by Vitek® and PCR and biofilm formation by Congo Red agar, string test and microtiter assay. To assess similarity between the waste and the workers' samples, a random amplified polymorphic DNA test was used. Twenty-eight bacteria were identified as clinically relevant. The most frequent gene was blaTEM present in five Gram-negative microorganisms, and one blaSHV in K. pneumoniae. All P. aeruginosa were positive to extracellular polymeric substances formation, except one isolated from a worker. K. pneumoniae had negative results for the string test. P. aeruginosa showed better adherence at 25°C after 48-hour incubation and K. pneumonia had the best biofilm formation at the same temperature, after24 hours. The similarity between P. aeruginosa recovered from dental waste and from workers was low, however, it is important to note that a pathogen was found on worker's hands and that improvements in biosafety are required. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

REFERENCE:

Payment lock: Tagliaferri TL, et al. Phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of clinically relevant bacteria isolated from dental waste and waste workers' hands, mucosas and coats. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2017 Jul 16. doi: 10.1111/lam.12775. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28712134.

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Guidelines on viral inactivation of human blood plasma products

FRAGMENT:
The present WHO Guidelines on viral inactivation and removal procedures intended to assure the viral safety of human blood plasma products were developed to complement the WHO Requirements for the collection, processing and quality control of blood, blood components and plasma derivatives”(1), in response to the above requests.
These Guidelines pertain to the validation and assessment of the steps for viral inactivation and removal employed in the manufacture of human blood plasma derivatives and virally inactivated plasma for transfusion, prepared either from plasma pools or from individual donations.It is hoped that this document, by summarizing current experience with well recognized methods, will help set expectations, serve as a guide to speed implementation, and ensure that implementation is appropriate.
Inevitably, individual countries may formulate different policies, not only in relation to procedures for validation and control, but also regarding donor selection and methods of blood screening. These Guidelines do not replace the requirements of regulatory authorities in various parts of the world (2–4); rather, they are primarily intended to assist those national regulatory authorities and manufacturers that are less familiar with viral decontamination processes.
The document does not address products of animal origin or those manufactured by recombinant techniques.
REFERENCE:
Guidelines on viral inactivation and removal procedures intended to assure the viral safety of human blood plasma products. World Health Organization, WHO Technical Report, Series No. 924, 2004.

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DOUBLE GLOVING: Gloves, extra gloves or special types of gloves for preventing percutaneous exposure injuries in healthcare personnel

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers are at risk of acquiring viral diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV through exposure to contaminated blood and body fluids at work. Most often infection occurs when a healthcare worker inadvertently punctures the skin of their hand with a sharp implement that has been used in the treatment of an infected patient, thus bringing the patient's blood into contact with their own. Such occurrences are commonly known as percutaneous exposure incidents.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the benefits and harms of extra gloves for preventing percutaneous exposure incidents among healthcare workers versus no intervention or alternative interventions.
SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, NHSEED, Science Citation Index Expanded, CINAHL, NIOSHTIC, CISDOC, PsycINFO and LILACS until 26 June 2013.
SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with healthcare workers as the majority of participants, extra gloves or special types of gloves as the intervention, and exposure to blood or bodily fluids as the outcome.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed study eligibility and risk of bias, and extracted data. We performed meta-analyses for seven different comparisons.
MAIN RESULTS: We found 34 RCTs that included 6890 person-operations as participating units and reported on 46 intervention-control group comparisons. We grouped interventions as follows: increased layers of standard gloves, gloves manufactured with special protective materials or thicker gloves, and gloves with puncture indicator systems. Indicator gloves show a coloured spot when they are perforated. Participants were surgeons in all studies and they used at least one pair of standard gloves as the control intervention. Twenty-seven studies also included other surgical staff (e.g. nurses). All but one study used perforations in gloves as an indication of exposure. The median control group rate was 18.5 perforations per 100 person-operations. Seven studies reported blood stains on the skin and two studies reported self reported needlestick injuries. Six studies reported dexterity as visual analogue scale scores for the comparison double versus single gloves, 13 studies reported outer glove perforations. We judged the included studies to have a moderate to high risk of bias.We found moderate-quality evidence that double gloves compared to single gloves reduce the risk of glove perforation (rate ratio (RR) 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23 to 0.37) and the risk of blood stains on the skin (RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.70). Two studies with a high risk of bias also reported the effect of double compared to single gloves on needlestick injuries (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.62).We found low-quality evidence in one small study that the use of three gloves compared to two gloves reduces the risk of perforation further (RR 0.03, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.52). There was similar low-quality evidence that the use of one fabric glove over one normal glove reduces perforations compared to two normal gloves (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.93). There was moderate-quality evidence that this effect was similar for the use of one special material glove between two normal material gloves. Thicker gloves did not perform better than thinner gloves.There was moderate to low-quality evidence in two studies that an indicator system does not reduce the total number of perforations during an operation even though it reduces the number of perforations per glove used.There was moderate-quality evidence that double gloves have a similar number of outer glove perforations as single gloves, indicating that there is no loss of dexterity with double gloves (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.31).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate-quality evidence that double gloving compared to single gloving during surgery reduces perforations and blood stains on the skin, indicating a decrease in percutaneous exposure incidents. There is low-quality evidence that triple gloving and the use of special gloves can further reduce the risk of glove perforations compared to double gloving with normal material gloves. The preventive effect of double gloves on percutaneous exposure incidents in surgery does not need further research. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of special material gloves and triple gloves, and of gloves in other occupational groups.

FREE REFERENCE:
Mischke C, Verbeek JH, Saarto A, Lavoie MC, Pahwa M, Ijaz S. Gloves, extra gloves or special types of gloves for preventing percutaneous exposure injuries in healthcare personnel. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Mar 7;(3):CD009573. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009573.pub2. Review. PubMed PMID: 24610769.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009573.pub2/full

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Biodefense in the 21st century

Although bioweapons have not been used in modern warfare, and bioterror events are rare, it's an open question as to whether the norms that prohibit the use of biological weapons have an expiration date. Biological techniques and equipment that could be used to create new bioweapons are available and inexpen­sive, pathogens are plentiful, and some can even be made de novo. In his new book, Biosecurity Dilemmas, Christian Enemark describes the challenges that nations face in providing biosecurity today.

BOOK: BIOSECURITY DILEMMAS

Dreaded Diseases, Ethical Responses, and the Health of Nations

Christian Enemark

Biosecurity Dilemmas examines conflicting values and interests in the practice of "biosecurity," the safeguarding of populations against infectious diseases through security policies. Biosecurity encompasses both the natural occurrence of deadly disease outbreaks and the use of biological weapons. Christian Enemark focuses on six dreaded diseases that governments and international organizations give high priority for research, regulation, surveillance, and rapid response: pandemic influenza, drug-resistant tuberculosis, smallpox, Ebola, plague, and anthrax. The book is organized around four ethical dilemmas that arise when fear causes these diseases to be framed in terms of national or international security: protect or proliferate, secure or stifle, remedy or overkill, and attention or neglect. For instance, will prioritizing research into defending against a rare event such as a bioterrorist attack divert funds away from research into commonly occurring diseases? Or will securitizing a particular disease actually stifle research progress owing to security classification measures? Enemark provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethics of securitizing disease and explores ideas and policy recommendations about biological arms control, global health security, and public health ethics.

REFERENCE:

Gronvall GK. Biodefense in the 21st century. Science. 2017 May 12;356(6338):588. doi: 10.1126/science.aan1118. PubMed PMID: 28495718.

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Management of solid health-care waste at primary health-care centres

The objective of this document is to provide guidance for selecting the most appropriate for safely managing solid waste generated at Primary Health-Care centres (PHCs) in developing countries. The main tool of this guide consists of six decision-trees aimed at assisting the user in identifying appropriate waste management methods. The guide takes into consideration the most relevant local conditions, the safety of workers and of the general public as well as of environmental criteria.
This guide is composed of the following parts:

• Basic risks associated with poor management of heath care waste.
• Basic elements for safe health-care waste management (HCWM)
• Parameters to assess before selecting HCWM options
• Technical annexes describing HCWM options
• Estimation of costs of the various options
• Decision-trees, assisting the selection of HCWM options
• This guide may also be used to evaluate existing practices related to health-care waste management. More detailed sources of information on handling and storage practices, technical options for treatment and disposal of wastes, training and personal protection, and assessment of a country’s situation, are presented in Annex A.

REFERENCE:

Management of solid health-care waste at primary health-care centres. A decision-making guide

Publication details
Number of pages: 54
Publication date: 2005
Languages: English, French
ISBN: 92 4 159274 5

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The waste produced in the course of health-care activities, from contaminated needles to radioactive isotopes, carries a greater potential for causing infection and injury than any other type of waste, and inadequate or inappropriate management is likely to have serious public health consequences and deleterious effects on the environment. This handbook – the result of extensive international consultation and collaboration – provides comprehensive guidance on safe, efficient, and environmentally sound methods for the handling and disposal of health-care wastes in normal situations and emergencies. Future issues such as climate change and the changing patterns of diseases and their impacts on health-care waste management are also discussed. For health-care settings in which resources are severely limited, the handbook pays particular attention to basic processes and technologies that are not only safe, but also affordable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate. The guide is aimed at public health managers and policy-makers, hospital managers, environmental health professionals, and all administrators with an interest in and responsibility for waste management. Its scope is such that it will find application in developing and developed countries alike.

REFERENCE:

Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

Edited by Yves Chartier, Jorge Emmanuel, Ute Pieper,Annette Prüss,
Philip Rushbrook, Ruth Stringer, William Townend,
Susan Wilburn and Raki Zghondi.
© 2014, WHO
ISBN 978 92 4 154856 4

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Sobre el Simposio de Bioseguridad 2017

Con gran entusiasmo se llevó a cabo el 9º Simposio de Bioseguridad organizado por AMEXBIO en la ciudad de Morelia Michoacán el pasado 7 al 10 de Junio 2017, con el tema "CONTENCIÓN HOSPITALARIA". Los cursos presimposio impartidos, como todos los años, incluyeron temas de gran relevancia para el trabajo diario en el manejo de patógenos, incluyendo: uso de equipo de protección personal, manejo de residuos RPBI, diseño de laboratorios, entre otros.
Durante el simposio de tocaron temas como la resistencia microbiana a los antibióticos, el control de infecciones hospitalarias, la gestión de riesgos, la salud ocupacional, la biología sintética, descontaminación entre otros. Entre las diversas noticias que se tuvieron este año, es que el próximo año el simposio se llevará a cabo en Puerto Vallarta, para conmemorar y festejar el 10º Simposio de la AMEXBIO. Resúmenes periodísticos del simposio se vieron publicados en: Arizona State University, Quadratín Michoacán, Provincia El Diario Grande de Michoacán, entre otros.
La Asociación como siempre agradece el patrocinio de MERRICK México, Camfil, Procequip, DUO, Métrix, Éviter, Microbios y Lab-Tech, ya que sin su apoyo, el simposio de 2017 no se llevaría a cabo.

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El propósito del presente documento es proporcionar a los instructores material para el adiestramiento de los agentes de salud comunitarios (ASC) y otro personal sanitario en la atención segura de los pacientes de ERA tanto en el hogar como en dispensarios de la comunidad. En él se presenta información acerca de ciertos tipos de ERA, como el SRAS y la gripe aviar, afecciones consideradas de potencial impacto internacional por suponer un riesgo para la salud pública mundial, pero también incluye información que se aplica a todas las ERA. La guía incluye instrucciones sobre el uso de equipo de protección personal (EPP) (por ejemplo, mascarillas y guantes), controles ambientales (limpieza y desinfección, eliminación de desechos) y otras estrategias (lavado de manos, cómo proceder en caso de tos, distancia de los pacientes) con el fin de reducir el riesgo de exposición. El contenido del presente documento recoge las orientaciones presentadas en Prevención y control de infección en enfermedades respiratorias agudas con tendencia epidémica y pandémica durante la atención sanitaria - Pautas provisionales de la OMS.

REFERENCE:

Medidas de control de infecciones en la atención sanitaria de pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias agudas en entornos comunitarios

Publication details
Publication date: 2009
Languages:

1. Download document (English)
2. Chinese
3. French
4. Spanish

WHO reference number: WHO/HSE/GAR/BDP/2009.1
DESCARGAR:   GUÍA PARA EL ALUMNO
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Laboratory Biorisk Management Strategic Framework for Action

Although laboratory biosecurity is a relatively new concept to many, biosafety has been an established discipline for several decades. These fields have recently been elevated in prominence for a number of reasons, including laboratory acquired infections associated with SARS, the anthrax attacks in the US postal service, and renewed interest in the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), together with emerging issues relating to the rapid growth of biotechnology and concerns over the potential for illicit use of such technologies.
However, despite significant investments in this field during the last decade, and progress made in strengthening biorisk management, many countries remain without effective regulatory and oversight mechanisms, and levels of awareness are often low amongst regulators and laboratory personnel alike. In addition, basic information relating to laboratory design and operating parameters is often confusing, with a lack of evidence to underpin many commonly used controls.
Developing countries in particular often struggle to implement solutions which have been designed for use in other parts of the world where different working conditions prevail. Adequate support services are also needed to operate laboratories. However, effective supplier networks, maintenance provision and other basic measures are often unavailable to those most in need.
At present there is no overarching framework or global strategy in this area to provide strategic direction to ensure that investments are planned and implemented appropriately to meet these needs. Without such strategic planning, biorisk management runs the danger of failing to meet the objective of delivering solutions that allow countries to build stand-alone capacity and capability.
This plan sets out a basis and rationale for WHO’s role in supporting the measures and mechanisms required to move towards the objective of supporting safe and secure environments in and around every laboratory in the world.

REFERENCE:
Laboratory Biorisk Management Strategic Framework for Action 2012–2016
Publication details
Number of pages: 16
Publication date: 2012
Languages: English
WHO reference number: WHO/HSE/2012.3

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Prevalence and characterization of murine leukemia virus contamination in human cell lines

Contaminations of cell cultures with microbiological organisms are well documented and can be managed in cell culture laboratories applying reliable detection, elimination and prevention strategies. However, the presence of viral contaminations in cell cultures is still a matter of debate and cannot be determined with general detection methods. In the present study we screened 577 human cell lines for the presence of murine leukemia viruses (MLV). Nineteen cell lines were found to be contaminated with MLV, including 22RV1 which is contaminated with the xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus variant of MLV. Of these, 17 cell lines were shown to produce active retroviruses determined by product enhanced reverse transcriptase PCR assay for reverse transcriptase activity. The contaminated cell lines derive from various solid tumor types as well as from leukemia and lymphoma types. A contamination of primary human cells from healthy volunteers could not be substantiated. Sequence analyses of 17 MLV PCR products and five complete MLV genomes of different infected cell lines revealed at least three groups of related MLV genotypes. The viruses harvested from the supernatants of infected cell cultures were infectious to uninfected cell cultures. In the course of the study we found that contamination of human genomic DNA preparations with murine DNA can lead to false-positive results. Presumably, xenotransplantations of the human tumor cells into immune-deficient mice to determine the tumorigenicity of the cells are mainly responsible for the MLV contaminations. Furthermore, the use of murine feeder layer cells during the establishment of human cell lines and a cross-contamination with MLV from infected cultures might be sources of infection. A screening of cell cultures for MLV contamination is recommended given a contamination rate of 3.3%.

REFERENCE
Uphoff CC, Lange S, Denkmann SA, Garritsen HS, Drexler HG. Prevalence and characterization of murine leukemia virus contamination in human cell lines. PLoS One. 2015 Apr 30;10(4):e0125622. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125622. eCollection 2015. PubMed PMID: 25927683; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4416031.
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LIBRO: Prevención de las infecciones nosocomiales, 2a edicíon, Guía práctica

Prevencíon de las infecciones nosocomiales, 2a edicíon, Guía práctica		Prevention of hospital-acquired infections, 2nd edition. A practical guide
Índice		Contents
Introducción		Introduction
Capítulo I. Epidemiología de las infecciones nosocomiales		Chapter I. Epidemiology of nosocomial infections
Capítulo II. Programas de control de infecciones		Chapter II. Infection control programmes
Capítulo III. Vigilancia de las infecciones nosocomiales		Chapter III. Nosocomial infection surveillance
Capítulo IV. Forma de abordar los brotes		Chapter IV. dealing with outbreaks
Capítulo V. Prevención de las infecciones nosocomiales		Chapter V. Prevention of nosocomial infections
Capítulo VI. Prevención de las infecciones nosocomiales endémicas comunes		Chapter VI. Prevention of common endemic nosocomial infections
Capítulo VII. Precauciones para el control de infecciones durante la atencíon del paciente		Chapter VII. Infection control precautiopns in patient care
Capítulo VIII. Medio ambiente		Chapter VIII. Environment
Capítulo IX. Uso de antimicrobianos y farmacorresistencia		Chapter IX. Antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance
Capítulo X. Prevención de infecciones del personal		Chapter X. Preventing infections of staff
Anexo 1. Lecturas recomendadas		Annex 1. Suggested further reading
Anexo 2. Recursos disponibles en Internet		Annex 2. Internet resources
DESCARGAR ESPAÑOL		DOWNLOAD ENGLISH

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Xenotropic retrovirus Bxv1 in human pancreatic β cell lines

It has been reported that endogenous retroviruses can contaminate human cell lines that have been passaged as xenotransplants in immunocompromised mice. We previously developed and described 2 human pancreatic β cell lines (EndoC-βH1 and EndoC-βH2) that were generated in this way. Here, we have shown that B10 xenotropic virus 1 (Bxv1), a xenotropic endogenous murine leukemia virus (MuLV), is present in these 2 recently described cell lines. We determined that Bxv1 was also present in SCID mice that were used for in vivo propagation of EndoC-βH1/2 cells, suggesting that contamination occurred during xenotransplantation. EndoC-βH1/2 cells released Bxv1 particles that propagated to human 293T and Mus dunni cells. Mobilization assays demonstrated that Bxv1 transcomplements defective MuLV-based retrovectors. In contrast, common rodent β cell lines, rat INS-1E and RIN-5F cells and mouse MIN6 and βTC3 cells, displayed either no or extremely weak xenotropic helper activity toward MuLV-based retrovectors, although xenotropic retrovirus sequences and transcripts were detected in both mouse cell lines. Bxv1 propagation from EndoC-βH1/2 to 293T cells occurred only under optimized conditions and was overall poorly efficient. Thus, although our data imply that MuLV-based retrovectors should be cautiously used in EndoC-βH1/2 cells, our results indicate that an involuntary propagation of Bxv1 from these cells can be easily avoided with good laboratory practices.

REFERENCE:

Kirkegaard JS, et al. Xenotropic retrovirus Bxv1 in human pancreatic β cell lines. J Clin Invest. 2016 Mar 1;126(3):1109-13.

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Use and misuse of material transfer agreements: lessons in proportionality from research, repositories, and litigation

Material transfer agreements exist to facilitate the exchange of materials and associated data between researchers as well as to protect the interests of the researchers and their institutions. But this dual mandate can be a source of frustration for researchers, creating administrative burdens and slowing down collaborations. We argue here that in most cases in pre-competitive research, a simple agreement would suffice; the more complex agreements and mechanisms for their negotiation should be reserved for cases where the risks posed to the institution and the potential commercial value of the research reagents is high.

REFERENCE:
Bubela T, Guebert J, Mishra A. Use and misuse of material transfer agreements: lessons in proportionality from research, repositories, and litigation. PLoS Biol. 2015 Feb 3;13(2):e1002060.

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Virus contaminations of cell cultures – A biotechnological view

In contrast to contamination by microbes and mycoplasma, which can be relatively easily detected, viral contamination present a serious threat because of the difficulty in detecting some viruses and the lack of effective methods of treating infected cell cultures. While some viruses are capable of causing morphological changes to infected cells (e.g. cytopathic effect)which are detectable by microscopy some viral contaminations result in the integration of the viral genome as provirus, this causes no visual evidence, by means of modification of the cellular morphology. Virus production from such cell lines, are potentially dangerous for other cell cultures (in research labs)by cross contaminations, or for operators and patients (in the case of the production of injectable biologicals) because of potential infection. The only way to keep cell cultures for research, development, and the biotech industry virus-free is the prevention of such contaminations. Cell cultures can become contaminated by the following means: firstly, they may already be contaminated as primary cultures (because the source of the cells was already infected), secondly, they were contaminated due to the use of contaminated raw materials, or thirdly, they were contaminated via an animal passage. This overview describes the problems and risks associated with viral contaminations in animal cell culture, describes the origins of these contaminations as well as the most important virsuses associated with viral contaminations in cell culture. In addition, ways to prevent viral contaminations as well as measures undertaken to avoid and assess risks for viral contaminations as performed in the biotech industry are briefly described.
REFERENCE:
Merten, O.-W. “Virus Contaminations of Cell Cultures – A Biotechnological View.” Cytotechnology 39.2 (2002): 91–116. PMC. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.

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Material Transfer Agreements: A University Perspective

Fragment:
Scientists have traditionally shared research materials freely, and indeed an important criterion for scientific publication has been the unfettered ability of other researchers to experimentally reproduce and thereby test published results. That ability to replicate results will often rely on access to the underlying biological materials or information, but that access is not assured today. So what has changed? Probably the most significant factor has been the narrowing of the gap between fundamental research and commercial developments, particularly in the biomedical arena, but it is also evident in agricultural biology (Rai and Eisenberg, 2001). Materials that at one time would have been useful almost exclusively for fundamental research purposes are increasingly seen as having direct commercial value, and this has generated a new breed of company that focuses on leveraging novel research tools to discover new commercially valuable traits, genes, or compounds. Naturally, these companies are reluctant to share their “crown jewels” without making sure that their business interests are protected. Also of significance has been the changing role of universities, which are today actively using the patent system as a means of transferring its research results into the private sector and often conduct research that is sponsored by private companies.

REFERENCE:
Streitz, Wendy D., and Alan B. Bennett. “Material Transfer Agreements: A University Perspective.” Plant Physiology 133.1 (2003): 10–13. PMC. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.
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Infección de felinos con influenza H5N1

Existen varios reportes de infecciones de felinos con influenza H5N1. Este virus fué capaz de infectar gatos domésticos, tigres, leopardos, y leones. En todos los casos los felinos se cree que se infectaron por el consumo de carne de aves crudas, y que estaban contaminadas con influenza, ingresando a través de la tráquea. En todos los casos, los felinos tuvieron problemas respiratorios, fiebre y murieron poco después. La confirmación de la infección se realizó mediante pruebas moleculares que identificaron la cepa de influenza con el que enfermaron. Los casos reportados de infección por influenza en gatos domésticos son mas comunes, pero los casos documentados de felinos en vida salvaje son raros.

REFERENCIAS:
Kuiken T, et al. Avian H5N1 influenza in cats. Science. 2004 Oct 8;306(5694):241.
Keawcharoen, Juthatip et al. “Avian Influenza H5N1 in Tigers and Leopards.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 10.12 (2004): 2189–2191.
Chen, Quanjiao et al. “First Documented Case of Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus Infection in a Lion.” Emerging Microbes & Infections 5.12 (2016): e125–.
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9º Simposio Internacional de Bioseguridad y Biocustodia 2017

VER PDF  /  INFORMES:  https://amexbio.wildapricot.org/SIBB

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Convocatoria Trabajos Libres #SIBB17

Ya se encuentra abierta la convocatoria para el envío de resúmenes para el 9º Simposio de Bioseguridad y Biocustodia, que se llevará a cabo en el Laboratorio Estatal de Salud Pública de Michoacán (LESPM), de Junio 7 al 10, 2017 en la ciudad de Morelia, Michoacán. Para más detalles en relación al formato y forma de envío, revisar la siguiente página electrónica: https://amexbio.wildapricot.org/TrabajosLibres

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Responsible life sciences research for global health security

Advances in life sciences research are inextricably linked to improvements in human, plant and animal health. Promotion of excellent, high-quality life sciences research that is conducted responsibly, safely and securely can foster global health security and contribute to economic development, evidence-informed policy making, public trust and confidence in science. Yet opportunities may also be accompanied by risks that need to be acknowledged and addressed. The risks under consideration in this guidance are those associated with accidents, with research that may pose unexpected risks and with the potential deliberate misuse of life sciences research. The opportunities offered by the life sciences are too important for governments and the scientific community (including individual researchers, laboratory managers, research institutions, professional associations, etc.) to leave the attendant risks unaddressed.
The purpose of this guidance is to inform about the risks posed by accidents or the potential deliberate misuse of life sciences research and to propose measures to minimize these risks within the context of promoting and harnessing the power of the life sciences to improve health for all people. Although the issues addressed in this document can potentially interest a quite large audience, the proposed measures and the selfassessment questionnaire are of a public health nature. Health researchers, laboratory managers and research institutions are therefore the primary audience of this guidance.

REFERENCE:
Responsible life sciences researchfor global health security. A guidance document
Publication details
Publication date: 2010
Languages: English
WHO reference number: WHO/HSE/GAR/BDP/2010.2
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Synthetic biology approaches to biological containment: pre-emptively tackling potential risks

Routes to biological containment

Biocontainment comprises any strategy applied to ensure that harmful organisms are confined to controlled laboratory conditions and not allowed to escape into the environment. Genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs), regardless of the nature of the modification and how it was established, have potential human or ecological impact if accidentally leaked or voluntarily released into a natural setting. Although all evidence to date is that GEMs are unable to compete in the environment, the power of synthetic biology to rewrite life requires a pre-emptive strategy to tackle possible unknown risks. Physical containment barriers have proven effective but a number of strategies have been developed to further strengthen biocontainment. Research on complex genetic circuits, lethal genes, alternative nucleic acids, genome recoding and synthetic auxotrophies aim to design more effective routes towards biocontainment. Here, we describe recent advances in synthetic biology that contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop new and improved genetic, semantic, metabolic and mechanistic plans for the containment of GEMs.

REFERENCE:
Torres, Leticia et al. “Synthetic Biology Approaches to Biological Containment: Pre-Emptively Tackling Potential Risks.” Ed. Vitor B. Pinheiro. Essays in Biochemistry 60.4 (2016): 393–410. PMC. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.
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Does Zika virus infection affect mosquito response to repellents?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that people travelling to or living in areas with Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks or epidemics adopt prophylactic measures to reduce or eliminate mosquito bites, including the use of insect repellents. It is, however, unknown whether repellents are effective against ZIKV-infected mosquitoes, in part because of the ethical concerns related to exposing a human subject’s arm to infected mosquitoes in the standard arm-in-cage assay. We used a previously developed, human subject-free behavioural assay, which mimics a human subject to evaluate the top two recommended insect repellents. Our measurements showed that DEET provided significantly higher protection than picaridin provided against noninfected, host-seeking females of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. When tested at lower doses, we observed a significant reduction in DEET-elicited protection against ZIKV-infected yellow fever mosquitoes from old and recent laboratory colonies. The reduction in protection is more likely associated with aging than the virus infection and could be compensated by applying a 5x higher dose of DEET. A substantial protection against ZIKV-infected and old noninfected mosquitoes was achieved with 5% DEET, which corresponds approximately to a 30% dose in the conventional arm-in-cage assays.
REFERENCE:
Leal WS, et al. Does Zika virus infection affect mosquito response to repellents? Sci Rep. 2017 Feb 16;7:42826.

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