Safety Considerations in the Laboratory Testing of Specimens Suspected or Known to Contain the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Peter C Iwen, PhD, D(ABMM), F(AAM), Karen L Stiles, SM(ASCP)CM, Michael A Pentella, PhD, D(ABMM)
American Journal of Clinical Pathology, aqaa047, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaa047
Published: 19 March 2020
The Ebola virus epidemic of 2014 to 2015 was a wakeup call for the medical community as to the lack of biosafety guidance within the clinical laboratory for the handling of specimens that might contain a highly hazardous pathogen (HHP). Following this epidemic, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response provided funding to initiate the National Ebola Training and Education Center with a mission “to increase the capacity of the United States public health and health care systems to safely and effectively manage individuals with suspected and confirmed special pathogens,” which includes training in laboratory practices (netec.org). The recent emergence of the new pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has again heightened the need for laboratories to review in-house biosafety practices and to update these practices with the new recommendations that are available. Keep in mind that since the recommendations are often fluid when responding to a new pathogen, strict adherence to the suggested safety practices may not be the best approach and should be based on the needs of the specific facility.
