What is a BSL-4 lab?

Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) BSL-4 laboratories are used to study infectious agents or toxins that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening disease for which no vaccines or therapies are available.

What is a BSL-2 lab?

BSL–2. This biosafety level covers laboratories that work with agents associated with human diseases (i.e. pathogenic or infections organisms) that pose a moderate health hazard.

What diseases are studied in a BSL-4 lab?

Biosafety level 4 laboratories are used for diagnostic work and research on easily transmitted pathogens which can cause fatal disease. These include a number of viruses known to cause viral hemorrhagic fever such as Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

How many BSL-4 labs are there in the world?

“Our research identified nearly 60 BSL-4 labs in operation, under construction, or planned in 23 different countries. The greatest concentration of these labs is in Europe with 25, followed by North America with 14, Asia with 13, Australia with 4, and Africa with 3 labs.

What is the main differences between a BSL-1 and a BSL 2 lab?

The main difference in the work procedures followed in a BSL-1 laboratory and a BSL-2 laboratory is that employees in a BSL-2 laboratory will use a BSC as a primary barrier for potentially hazardous aerosols.

What is the difference between BSL2 and BSL2+?

Biosafety Level 2+ (BSL2+) This biosafety level is also referred to as “Biosafety Level 2 Enhanced”. Work conducted at BSL2+ usually involves work with biological agents that would normally be conducted at BSL2; however, the work may involve certain conditions which would necessitate an increased amount of precautions.

Where are the BSL-4 labs in the US?

There are currently only four operational BSL-4 laboratory suites in the United States: at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta; at the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland; at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research …