BSL and ABSL

Question 1

What is a primary barrier/containment?

Answer 1

Physical containment measures placed directly at the level of the hazard.

Question 2

What are examples of primary barriers/safety equipment?

Answer 2

Biosafety cabinets or sealed containers, such as sealed rotors and cetrifuge safety cups.

Question 3

In what examples might secondary barriers or PPE act as a primary barrier?

Answer 3

With large/agricultural animals. Facility becomes the primary barrier and personnel must rely on administrative and personal protective equipment to reduce risk of exposure.

Question 4

What is a secondary barrier?

Answer 4

Facility design and construction.

Question 5

What does ASHRAE stand for?

Answer 5

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Question 6

What are examples of secondary barrier factors to consider?

Answer 6

Ventilation, effluent decon systems, controlled access, separation of offices and labs, ante rooms, and airlocks

Question 7

Who is ultimately responsible for the work conducted within laboratory facilities?

Answer 7

Management and leadership.

Question 8

When might PPE become the primary barrier?

Answer 8

In situations where BSC cannot be used.

Question 9

How is each biosafety level distinguished?

Answer 9

Standard microbiological practices, special practices, safety equipment (Primary barriers and PPE), and laboratory facilities (secondary barriers)

Question 10

What is the biosafety level not equivalent to? Who determines this?

Answer 10

Not equivalent to the risk group. Risk group is described by NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.

Question 11

How are risk groups determined?

Answer 11

Ability to cause disease in healthy human adults and spread within the community.

Question 12

Describe a BSL1 agent.

Answer 12

Well-characterized

Question 13

What specific access requirements and equipment is needed for BSL1 work?

Answer 13

Access: Not generally separated from general traffic patterns.
Equipment: Generally open benchtops.
Work requires standard micro best practices with a door, sink for handwashing, and non-porous work surfaces that are cleanable and easy to decontaminate.

Question 14

Describe BSL2 agents.

Answer 14

Agents associated with human disease and pose moderate hazards to personnel and the environment.
Aerosol risk is low, primary risk is through transmucosal, percutaneous, or ingestion.
Includes blood, body fluids, tissues, or primary cell lines where the presence of a biological agent or toxin is unknown.

Question 15

What are examples of BSL1 agents?

Answer 15

Bacillus subtilis, Naegleria gruberi, infectious canine hepatitis virus

Question 16

What are examples of BSL2 agents?

Answer 16

Hepatitis B, HIV, Salmonella, and Toxoplasma

Question 17

What access and equipment is required for BSL2 work?

Answer 17

Access to lab should be restricted when work is being conducted.
All procedures in which aerosols or splashes may be created are conducted in BSCs or other physical containment equipment.

Question 18

Describe BSL3.

Answer 18

Indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through the inhalation route of exposure.

Question 19

What are examples of BSL3 agents?

Answer 19

Coxiella burnetii, St. Louis encephalitis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Potential for resp. exposure

Question 20

What special equipment is required for BSL3 work?

Answer 20

All procedures involving manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within a BSC or other primary containment device.
Enhanced ventilation strategies to ensure inward directional airflow, controlled access zones to limit access to only approved personnel, and may contain anterooms, airlocks, exit showers, and/or exhaust HEPA filtration.

Question 21

Describe BSL4.

Answer 21

Dangerous and exotic agents that pose high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted lab infections and life-threatening diseases that are frequently fatal, agents for which there are no vaccines or treatments, or work with a related agent with unknown risk of transmission.

Question 22

What are examples of BSL4 agents?

Answer 22

Marburg, Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever virus

Question 23

How are agents with close or identical antigenic relationship to agents requiring BSL4 containment handled?

Answer 23

Handled as BSL4 until sufficient data to redesignate the level.

Question 24

How is the lab worker’s complete isolation from aerosolized infectious material accomplished with BSL4 agents?

Answer 24

Working in a Class III BSC or in a Class II BSC with a full-body, air-supplied positive pressure personnel suit.

Question 25

What are the secondary barriers for BSL4 agents?

Answer 25

Includes those previously mentioned for previous biosafety levels. Facility is often a separate building or completely isolated zone with complex, specialized ventilation requirements and waste management systems, both solid and liquid, to prevent release of hazardous biological agents into surrounding community and environment.

Question 26

How do BSL and ABSL differ?

Answer 26

Not the same. The ABSL for an infectious agent can change depending on the species.

Question 27

Describe ABSL1.

Answer 27

Animal work involving well-characterized agents that are not known to consistently cause disease in immunocompetent adult humans and present minimal potential hazards to personnel and the environment.

Question 28

Describe ABSL2.

Answer 28

Work involving animals infected with agents associated with human disease and posing a moderate hazard to personnel and the environment. Addresses hazards from ingestion, percutaneous, and mucous membrane exposure.

Question 29

What does ABSL2 work require?

Answer 29

A BSC or other physical containment equipment is used when procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials or where aerosols or splashes may be created.

Question 30

Describe ABSL3.

Answer 30

Work with animals infected with indigenous or exotic agents, agents that present a potential for aerosol transmission, and agents causing serious or potentially lethal disease.

Question 31

What equipment is required for ABSL3 work?

Answer 31

All procedures conducted in BSCs or use of other physical containment equipment. Inward airflow at containment boundary. Handwashing sinks capable of hands-free operation.

Question 32

Describe ABSL4.

Answer 32

Work with animals infected with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening diseases that are frequently fatal, agents for which there are no vaccines or treatments, or work with a related agent with unknown risk of transmission

Question 33

What does ABSL Ag refer to? How is it unique compared to traditional lab animal species?

Answer 33

Refers to the biosafety and biocontainment for pathogens affecting agricultural animals and animals that are loose-housed in open penning. Loosely housed may be a single room, area within a larger building, or an entire building.

Question 34

Describe ABSL-2 Ag. What agents does it include?

Answer 34

For in vivo work involving agents requiring ABSL-2 in large livestock or wildlife species that cannot be housed in primary containment isolators. Agents may be primary animal pathogens or zoonotic. Are classified as risk group 1 or 2. Pose a low to moderate economic risks to agriculture sector. Example - Potentially serious ag pathogen that is endemic in the location the lab is situated.

Question 35

What practices and equipment does ABSL2 Ag require?

Answer 35

Standard practices, procedures, containment equipment, and facility design features required for ABSL-2. Perimeter of the primary containment zone is defined by the physical room and an outer containment zone by the physical facility.

Question 36

Describe ABSL3 Ag. What agents does it include?

Answer 36

For in vivo work with pathogens of agricultural and wildlife species that pose moderate- to high-risk to agricultural production and may also be zoonotic. Includes risk group 1, 2, and 3 pathogens. Pathogens are specific, transboundary livestock or wildlife pathogens defined by USDA APHIS VS. Defined as High-Consequence Foreign Animal Diseases and Pests by USDA APHIS.

Question 37

Describe ABSL4 Ag. What agents does it include? What equipment is needed?

Answer 37

Agents that pose a sig economic risk to the agricultural sector and/or (?) are zoonotic pathogen consistent with risk group 3 or 4 classification, for which effective treatments and/or preventative measures are not available for humans. Personnel working in ABSL4 Ag must wear positive pressure suits. Includes zoonotic pathogens that would ordinarily require facilities and procedures commensurate with ABSL4 containment or a comprehensive local assessment, which also assesses the cross-contamination risk, for animals that cannot be housed in primary containment isolators.