BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

…health hazards
associated with
exposure to
biological agents
Definitions

 Biohazard – organisms or products of

organisms that present a risk to humans
 Organism – a living thing, such as a germ,
plant, animal, or human that may consist of
several parts, with each part specializing in a
particular function
 Microorganism – a minute organism, such as
microbes, bacteria, cocci, viruses, molds, etc.
Development of Biosafety
 Army at Fort Detrick – Frederick, Maryland
– Researching biological warfare agents
 1941 – Chemical Warfare Services
– American Society of Microbiology served as advisors to CWS
 1970’s – Recombinant DNA technology
 1980’s - Appearance of HIV
 1991 – OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Program (29
CFR 1910.1030)
RECENT INCREASED AWARENESS
OF BIOHAZARDS

 Newest subset of focus

 Contributing to awareness
Legionnaires’ disease
AIDS epidemic
rDNA technology
anthrax
 Specialists exist but their
numbers are small
 S/H/E professionals have
become involved
Occupational hazards…
 Healthcare
– Hepatitis, tuberculosis, infections
– Infections categorized as:
Community acquired – transmitted to either patients or workers
Occupationally acquired – resulting from worker exposure
Nosocomial – hospital-acquired infections of patients

 Research facilities
– Q fever, hepatitis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, dermatomycosis
– Percutaneous inoculation (needles/syringes, cuts or abrasions from contaminated items, and animal bites/scratches); inhalation of aerosols,
contact between mucous membranes and contaminated material (hands and surfaces), and ingestion

 Agriculture
– Workers may be exposed to infectious microorganisms that are associated with the plants or animals
– Food and grain handlers, farmers, laborers – may be exposed to parasitic diseases
– Processors who handle animal products – may acquire bacterial skin diseases from working with contaminated hides, infected with
contaminated fish, meat or poultry, Bacterial infections from exposure to feces from infected turkeys, geese, ducks, etc.

 Animal facilities/Veterinary practices

– Bites, scratches, parasites, diseases, allergens

 Biotechnology facilities
– Genetically engineered bacteria, fungi, plant and animal cells for development of products

 Miscellaneous occupations
– Workers maintaining water systems (legionella); pet shops; zoos; wood-processing facilities (fungi); sewage workers (bacteria, virus, parasites);
forestry workers (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, lyme disease, viruses and bacteria from ticks, fungi); child care workers (bacteria (shingles),
viruses (measles, chickenpox); public safety workers (bloodborne pathogens, viral respiratory diseases (influenza).
Biohazards are…
 Inherently different
from chemicals,
physical agents,
carcinogens, etc.
 BUT, recognition,
evaluation and control
still can be applied
 Biological materials typically…..

 Have no threshold level of exposure, i.e., dose and

response relationship
 Are ubiquitous in the environment so the idea of
“permissible exposure limits” is inappropriate
 Are affected by biological competition rather than
behaving in an additive or synergistic way
 Interact with the host and its environment to
produce the adverse effects
 For illness to occur…..

 The agent must be pathogenic.

 There must be a reservoir of sufficient
number.
 The agent must escape the reservoir.
 The organism must be able to move
through the environment.
 There must be a portal of entry for the host.
 The host must be susceptible to the agent.
Factors affecting infection and
exposure
 Modes of transmission
– Contact (direct/indirect, zoonotic); vector-borne, airborne
 Routes of entry
 Infectious dose (infective dose)
– Number of microorganism
 Viability and virulence of agent
– Viability - Ability to replicate
– Virulence – Ability to cause disease
 Host susceptibility
– Skin disorders, immune system, vaccination allergy, infection
of fetus, work practices
Classification of Biohazards
 Microorganisms
– Examples: viruses, bacteria,
fungi, protozoa, algae
– Reactions: infection, exposure,
allergic reactions
 Arthropods
– Examples: crustaceans,
arachnids, insects
– Reactions: skin inflammation,
allergic reactions, systemic
intoxication, transmission of
infectious agents
 Allergens
– Examples: from higher plants
– Reactions: Dermatitis, rhinitis,
asthma
 Protein Allergens
– Examples: vertebrate animals
(urine, feces, hair, saliva, dander)
– Reactions: allergic reactions
 Parasites
– Examples: ticks, hookworms,
pinworms
– Reactions: skin reaction,
inflammatory response, allergic
reaction
Some common biological agents

 Bacteria
 Viruses
 Rickettsiae
 Fungi
 Parasites
 BACTERIA

 Simple, one-celled
organisms
 Cocci, bacilli, spirilla
 Some are pathogenic,
some are harmless, some
are even useful
 Broken skin is particularly
vulnerable
 “Food poisoning” in mass
VIRUSES

 Smallest known
organisms
 Living (?) non-cellular
entities
 Are “obligate parasites” &
cannot survive without
living cells
 Common occupational
exposures to animal virus,
poxvirus & arbovirus
 RICKETTSIAE

 Bacteria-like but smaller

 Are obligate parasites
 Transmitted to humans
via bloodsucking
arthropods (fleas, ticks
& lice) or through the air
 Responsible for typhus
and Rocky Mountain
spotted fever
FUNGI

 Broadest spectrum
among biological agents
 Are either parasitic or
saprophytic
 Hypersensitivity due to
inhaled fungal antigens
 Fungal disease is rare
but includes ringworm &
athlete’s foot
 PARASITES

 Parasitic to plants or
animals
 Diseases include
malaria and other
blood and GI infections
 Dermatitis and other
skin-related ailments
due to mites and
chiggers, etc.
 Legionnaires’ Disease

 Caused by legionella pneumophila, a bacterium

 Presence possible if moisture, elevated temperature,
oxygen and nourishment available
 Clearly can be transmitted through air and perhaps
other ways
 Symptoms resemble a form of pneumonia and can be
treated accordingly
 About 15% of known cases have been fatal
 Tuberculosis (TB)
 Bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium
tuberculosis
 Some populations are at greater risk
 Transmitted by inhalation of infectious droplet nuclei
suspended in air
 Symptoms
– Early on: fatigue, fever, weight loss
– Later: Hoarseness, cough, hemoptysis (blood-tinged sputum),
lesions in respiratory tract
 Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)

 Caused by HIV, a virus

 Transmitted via sexual contact, sharing of
needles and transfused blood
 Symptoms include tiredness, fever, night
sweats, weight loss
 No single test as diagnosis
 Treatment (at present) cannot cure or restore
the immune system
 Anthrax

 Caused by spore-forming
bacterium Bacillus
anthracis
 Found in imported animal
products
 Types of anthrax
– Cutaneous anthrax
– Inhalational anthrax
– Gastrointestinal anthrax
 Cutaneous Anthrax

 Most common naturally

occurring infection

 Incubation period of 1-12 days

 Symptoms:
– small, raised bump
– ulcer with black center
– fever, headache, malaise
 Inhalational Anthrax

 Most lethal form

 Incubation period of 1-7 and
possible 60 days
 Symptoms:
– sore throat, fever, muscles aches
– respiratory failure and shock
 Fatality rate of approximately 75%
 Gastrointestinal Anthrax

 Follows consumption of raw or

undercooked meat
 Incubation period of 1-7days
 Symptoms:
– sore throat, fever
– loss of appetite
– nausea & vomiting

 Fatality rate between 25%-60%

 SUMMARY

 A tremendous variety of biological materials

exists as potential exposure agents.
 Effects of bio-hazardous agents are subtle
and slow in developing.
 There is increasing concern about, and
interest in, biological materials.
 Bottom-line: biohazards are (and must be)
treated with extraordinary caution.