Virucidal Activity of Disinfectants Against Parvoviruses and Reference Viruses

The conditions under which microbiologists, emergency responders, and other individuals are working with pathogens vary greatly. Best practices and PPE used to reduce risk to an acceptable level are determined by conducting a thorough risk assessment. The top left photo: Participants from countries supported by President Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program (PEPFAR) observe specimen logging procedures for TB cultures during this lab strengthening training. Photo provided courtesy of Dr. Ákos Somoskövi, FIND Diagnostics. The top right photo: Three CDC health officials inspecting specimens suspected of being connected with a Hanta-virus outbreak. In the United States, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the primary reservoir of the Hanta-virus, which causes Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Photo provided courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lower photo: A hazardous materials unit worker inspecting offices following the 2001 anthrax letter attacks is hosed down on Capitol Hill. Photo provided courtesy of the Associated Press/Ron Thomas. For more information, see the Special Feature " Capsule " by Felix K. Gmuender on pages 202-203. Modifications to the JEOL 2200FS CryoEM. A A. Thermocouples (arrows) attached to the microscope to monitor the temperature during the heat decontamination cycle. B. and C. Fragments of vacuum lines wrapped with aluminum foil (B) and heat-insulating foam. Heaters are mounted inside the foam to maintain a temperature of 60°C during " bake out " for decontamination of the system. A CryoEM image of western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) particles embedded in vitreous water. The sample was held in a cryo-specimen holder inside the JEOL 2200FS cryoEM at-184°C and imaged with 200 keV voltage using a large format CCD camera (16 Mpxl). The scale bar is 100 nm. Figures 5 and 6 were inadvertently deleted from the Michael B. Sherman et al. article " A Unique BSL-3 Cryo-Electron Microscopy Laboratory at UTMB " that was published in Volume 15, Number 3, 2010. The complete article has been posted to the ABSA web site under the " ABSA News " section at www.absa.org. We sincerely apologize to the authors and to our readership for any inconvenience this has caused. Applied Biosafety: Journal of the American Biological Safety Association (ISSN 1535-6760) is published quarterly by the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA). ABSA members receive the journal as a benefit of membership. An additional annual subscription for members is $60. Nonmembers and institutions/libraries may subscribe at the annual rates …