Biosafety Aspects of Arthropod-Borne Disease Vectors Laboratory

Abstract

With increased research efforts on vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and recently Zika, there has been a need to maintain in captivity arthropods that are known or believed to be involved in the transmission of pathogens to humans in a well-controlled laboratory environment. Therefore, it is pivotal to establish safe yet practical procedures inside an insectary to minimize the associated biosafety risks and prevent the potential escape of the arthropods used into the environment. This article provides a detailed overview of an arthropod disease vectors facility features with a focus on arthropod containment level 2 (ACL-2) laboratory and aims to support health safety and environment (HSE) and biosafety professionals as well as scientists who work on vector-borne diseases by detailing safety procedures inside an ACL-2 environment. In particular, I detail here the associated safety procedures of an ACL-2 and the insectary-specific equipment required for this type of facility. Research on mosquitoes was used here as an example of a disease vector and presents procedures relevant to usage of this vector in the context of Zika virus. The work presented here shows that risks associated with working on infected arthropod vectors can be minimized to an acceptable level and in turn facilitate the research on the diseases they help spread. Similar principles can be applied to other vector-borne diseases research as well, although the work may have a distinct nature.