Comparative Analysis of the Fourth and Fifth Editions of Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories,Vertebrate Animal Biosafety Level Criteria (ABSL1-4)

Abstract

We have developed a matrix of changes between the Vertebrate Animal Biosafety Level Criteria sections of the current and former editions of Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL). Citations containing multiple statements were subdivided into individually-addressable statements and statements with similar/identical scope were aligned, thereby allowing a precise comparative analysis. In addition, statements were categorized for further analysis based on the subject of the change. Results are presented in a change matrix tool that uses a basic Microsoft Excel filter function to allow the user to sort the data based on the animal biosafety level and subject. The tool also contains a side-by-side comparison of animal biosafety levels one through three (ABSL1-3) in the fifth edition of BMBL. In this report, we present a brief summary of major changes.

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