title: Biosafety considerations in handling medically important fungi.
abstract: Over 500,000 workers in the USA alone are employed in laboratories that range from small physician offices to large clinical laboratories handling microbes for comprehensive research and/or diagnostic work. These workers are exposed to a variety of potential occupational health risks such as exposure to infectious clinical materials, environmental specimens, cultures, complex and inflammable chemicals, radiation, and electrical and mechanical hazards. As members of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology, we have no policy statement on biosafety standards for handling medically important fungi. The intent of the symposium is to cover some of the important aspects of biosafety; (1) standards in handling dimorphic fungal pathogens; (2) the principles and criteria of biosafety levels and classification of known medically important fungi, aerobic actinomycetes, environmental fungi according to their biosafety levels; (3) medically important fungal waste and its safe disposal; and (4) biosafety and regulatory considerations in handling and mailing medically important fungi in a culture collection.
authors.affiliation: Mycotic Diseases Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Padhye
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: McGinnis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sigler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fliss
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Salkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003264:Containment of Biohazards; D005658:Fungi / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D007757:Laboratory Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D009172:Mycology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission