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The Animal Health Research Center

Helpful Definitions

Bacterium - a large, single-celled microorganism found in air, soil, and water and living in the bodies of other organisms

Biohazard - a potentially dangerous organism that can spread and cause illness to people or animals

Biological containment - the control of a microorganism to prevent it from surviving or from causing illness, usually by physically controlling its surroundings or by changing the structure of the microorganism.

Biosafety level - Laboratories are assigned a classification (Levels 1 to 4) based on the risk to human health of handling certain types of organisms. Level 1 laboratories are designed for low-risk work; Level 4 laboratories can handle organisms that pose the most serious risks. Laboratories at each classification level must meet different design criteria and conform to different operating procedures. The University of Georgia AHRC building will house Level 2 and 3 laboratories.

• Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) is used for working with agents having no known or minimal hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment; the organisms are unlikely to cause illness in people or animals.

• Work is generally conducted on open bench tops with standard microbiological practices.
• Examples: Bacillus subtilis, nonpathogenic E. coli

• Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment. Should a person become infected, treatment is available and the risk of spreading the infection to others is low.

• Any laboratory procedure with these agents that may create an aerosol must be done within a biological safety cabinet.
• Examples: Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., most animal viruses

• Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) is applicable to work done with agents which may cause serious illness to people or animals, but cannot spread easily to others; treatment is available.

• ALL procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials must be done within biological safety cabinets or other appropriate containment devices.
• The laboratory has special engineering and design features including separation from traffic flow, water resistant surfaces for cleaning, sealed windows, and ducted exhaust air ventilation.
• Examples: virulent Newcastle disease virus, HIV research level, Coxiella burnettii (Q fever), E. coli 0157:H7

• Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4)is necessary for work on pathogens that produce very serious human animal disease, often untreatable, and may be spread easily to others.

• Individuals handling the infectious agents must work in one-piece positive pressure personnel suits.
• Examples: Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses
• THE AHRC DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR BSL-4 STUDIES. There are a limited number of BSL-4 laboratories in the world.

Decontamination - the process of removing all living microorganisms by filtration, heating, radiation, or chemicals

Disinfection - the process of removing specific living microorganisms

Epizootic - a disease that is temporarily widespread or common among animals

HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters - filters capable of removing virtually all particulate material from the air. Each filter is 8-11 inches deep and composed of continuous sheets of boron silicate microfiber (glass paper) folded back and forth over corrugated separators. As the particles pass through the accordion-like configuration of the filter, they impact on the membranes and are effectively removed from circulation.

• The AHRC is equipped with more than 100 HEPA filters.
• All of the exhaust air from the animal rooms is HEPA-filtered. In addition, exhaust air from each laminar flow cabinet must pass through a HEPA filter.
• All air entering the building is pre-filtered through fiberglass and all air in the building is "one-pass," i.e., there is no recirculation.
• The filters are housed in modular banks within the mechanical space on the second floor of the AHRC. Within these modules, air from the facility passes through two fiberglass pre-filters and then through the HEPA filter prior to release to the outside of the building.
• At periodic intervals, the filters are decontaminated in place with paraformaldehyde gas, removed, and incinerated.

Microbiology - the study of microorganisms

Microorganism - a tiny living organism invisible to the naked eye, such as a virus or bacterium

Pathogen - a disease or illness-causing agent

Physical containment - the confinement of a microorganism to prevent or minimize its contact with people, animals,and the environment

Rickettsia - a type of microorganism that lives off lice, fleas, ticks, and mites; it can cause illness in humans or other animals

Sterilization - the process of destroying all forms of microbiological life on or in an object

Virus - a type of microorganism that is capable of reproduction and growth only within living cells; it differs from other microorganisms because it has a core of RNA (ribonucleic acid) or DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) surrounded by a core of protein

 

This page last updated June 4, 2007.