Aerosol Transmissible Pathogens – Laboratory
How to use this tool
This is a list of agents that, when reasonably anticipated to be present, require a laboratory to comply with Section 5199 for laboratory operations by performing a risk assessment and establishing a biosafety plan that includes appropriate control measures as identified in the standard.
For the table below:
* ‘Large quantities or high concentrations’ refers to volumes or concentrations considerably in excess of those typically used for identification and typing activities. A risk assessment must be performed to determine if the quantity or concentration to be used carries an increased risk, and would therefore require aerosol control.
** ‘activities with high potential for aerosol generation’ include centrifugation
Agent | Notes |
|---|---|
Adenovirus | In clinical specimens and in cultures or other materials derived from clinical specimens |
Arboviruses | Unless identified individually elsewhere in this list (large quantities or high concentrations* of arboviruses for which CDC recommends BSL-2 e.g. dengue virus; potentially infectious clinical materials infected tissue cultures animals or arthropods involving arboviruses for which CDC recommends BSL-3 or higher e.g. Japanese encephalitis West Nile virus Yellow Fever) |
Arenaviruses | Large quantities or high concentrations of arenaviruses for which CDC recommends BSL-2 e.g. Pichinde virus; potentially infectious clinical materials infected tissue cultures animals or arthropods involving arenaviruses for which CDC recommends BSL-3 or higher e.g. Flexal virus |
Bacillus anthracis | Activities with high potential for aerosol production** large quantities or high concentrations screening environmental samples from b. anthracis -contaminated locations |
Blastomyces dermatitidis | Sporulating mold-form cultures processing environmental materials known or likely to contain infectious conidia |
Bordetella pertussis | Aerosol generation or large quantities or high concentrations |
Brucella abortus B. canis B. “maris” B. melitensis B. suis | Cultures experimental animal studies products of conception containing or believed to contain pathogenic Brucella spp. |
Burkholderia mallei B. pseudomallei | Potential for aerosol or droplet exposure handling infected animals large quantities or high concentrations |
Cercopithecine herpesvirus | see Herpesvirus simiae |
Chlamydia pneumoniae | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations |
Chlamydia psittaci | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations non-avian strains infected caged birds necropsy of infected birds and diagnostic examination of tissues or cultures known to contain or be potentially infected with C. psittaci strains of avian origin |
Chlamydia trachomatis | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations cultures of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) serovars specimens known or likely to contain C. trachomatis |
Clostridium botulinum | Activities with high potential for aerosol or droplet production large quantities or high concentrations |
Coccidioides immitis C. posadasii | Sporulating cultures processing environmental materials known or likely to contain infectious arthroconidia experimental animal studies involving exposure by the intranasal or pulmonary route |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae | |
Coxiella burnetti | Inoculation incubation and harvesting of embryonated eggs or cell cultures; experimental animal studies animal studies with infected arthropods necropsy of infected animals handling infected tissues |
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus | |
Cytomegalovirus human | Viral production purification or concentration |
Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV) | Clinical materials infectious cultures infected animals or arthropods |
Ebola virus | |
Epstein-Barr virus | Viral production purification or concentration |
Escherichia coli shiga toxin-producing only | aerosol generation or high splash potential |
Flexal virus | |
Francisella tularensis | Suspect cultures––including preparatory work for automated identification systems experimental animal studies necropsy of infected animals high concentrations of reduced- virulence strains) |
Guanarito virus | |
Haemophilus influenzae type b | |
Hantaviruses | Serum or tissue from potentially infected rodents potentially infected tissues large quantities or high concentrations cell cultures experimental rodent studies) |
Helicobacter pylori | Homogenizing or vortexing gastric specimens |
Hemorrhagic fever | Specimens from cases thought to be due to dengue or yellow fever viruses or which originate from areas in which communicable hemorrhagic fever are reasonably anticipated to be present |
Hendra virus | |
Hepatitis B C and D viruses | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol generation large quantities or high concentrations of infectious materials) |
Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 | |
Herpesvirus simiae (B-virus) | Consider for any material suspected to contain virus mandatory for any material known to contain virus propagation for diagnosis cultures |
Histoplasma capsulatum | Sporulating mold-form cultures propagating environmental materials known or likely to contain infectious conidia |
Human herpesviruses 6A 6B 7 and 8 | Viral production purification or concentration |
Influenza virus non-contemporary human (H2N2) strains 1918 influenza strain highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) | Large animals infected with 1918 strain and animals infected with HPAI strains in ABSL-3 facilities loose-housed animals infected with HPAI strains in BSL-3-Ag facilities) |
Influenza virus H5N1 | Human avian |
Junin virus | |
Kyasanur forest disease virus | |
Lassa fever virus | |
Legionella pneumophila other legionella-like agents | Aerosol generation large quantities or high concentrations |
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) | Field isolates and clinical materials from human cases activities with high potential for aerosol generation large quantities or high concentrations strains lethal to nonhuman primates infected transplantable tumors infected hamsters |
Machupo virus | |
Marburg virus | |
Measles virus | |
Monkeypox virus | Experimentally or naturally infected animals |
Mumps virus | |
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. africanum M. bovis M. caprae M. microti M. pinnipedii M. tuberculosis) | Aerosol-generating activities with clinical specimens cultures experimental animal studies with infected nonhuman primates |
Mycobacteria spp. other than those in the M. tuberculosis complex and M. leprae | Aerosol generation |
Mycoplasma pneumoniae | |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae | Large quantities or high concentrations consider for aerosol or droplet generation |
Neisseria meningitidis | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations |
Nipah virus | |
Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus | |
Parvovirus B19 | |
Prions | Bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions only when supported by a risk assessment |
Rabies virus and related lyssaviruses | Activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations |
Retroviruses including Human and Simian Immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) | Activities with high potential for aerosol or droplet production large quantities or high concentrations |
Rickettsia prowazekii Orientia (Rickettsia) tsutsuagmushi R. typhi (R. mooseri) Spotted Fever Group agents (R. akari R. australis R. conorii R. japonicum R. rickettsii and R. siberica) | Known or potentially infectious materials; inoculation incubation and harvesting of embryonated eggs or cell cultures; experimental animal studies with infected arthropods |
Rift valley fever virus (RVFV) | |
Rubella virus | |
Sabia virus | |
Salmonella spp. other than S. typhi | aerosol generation or high splash potential |
Salmonella typhi | activities with significant potential for aerosol generation large quantities |
SARS coronavirus | untreated specimens cell cultures experimental animal studies |
Shigella spp. | aerosol generation or high splash potential |
Streptococcus spp. group A | |
Tick-borne encephalitis viruses | Central European tick-borne encephalitis Far Eastern tick-borne encephalitis Russian spring and summer encephalitis |
Vaccinia virus | |
Varicella zoster virus | |
Variola major virus (Smallpox virus) | |
Variola minor virus (Alastrim) | |
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) | Clinical materials infectious cultures infected animals or arthropods |
West Nile virus (WNV) | Dissection of field-collected dead birds cultures experimental animal and vector studies |
Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) | Clinical materials infectious cultures infected animals or arthropods |
Yersinia pestis | Antibiotic resistant strains activities with high potential for droplet or aerosol production large quantities or high concentrations infected arthropods potentially infected animals |
