Applied Biosafety

A total of 78 cases of laboratory acquired infections occurred at D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, M. P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis and Rostov na Donu Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Hygiene. All these cases were caused by accidental infection of the staff with the following viruses: Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (n=34), Kyasanur forest disease (n=1), Omsk hemorrhagic fever (n=1), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) (n=2), Dhori (n=5), vesicular stomatitis (n=1), Machupo (n=3), and hemorrhagic fever with the renal syndrome (n=31). The majority of cases were caused by inhaling virus aerosols. All cases were a result of accidents or neglect of safety measures. Diagnoses were confirmed by virus isolation and/or detection of specific antibodies in convalescent serum. With the exception of one lethal case of CCHF, patients recovered without disability. The pathogenicity of Dhori virus in man was discovered as a result of laboratory infection of 5 staff members.

Personal protection against infectious or toxic aerosols is a growing area of concern among many different occupational groups. Selection of appropriate respiratory protection should be based upon the level of risk present and the degree of protection afforded by the different types of protective masks available. In this study we have determined the relative protection factors for various commercial and military respiratory protective devices when challenged with a polydispersed submicron to micron sized particulate aerosol.