Good laboratory practices guarantee biosafety in the Sierra Leone-China friendship biosafety laboratory

Background:The outbreak of Ebola virus disease(EVD)in West Africa between 2014 and 2015 was the largest EDV epidemic since the identification of Ebola virus(EBOV)in 1976,and the countries most strongly affected were Sierra Leone,Guinea,and Liberia.Findings:The Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory(SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab),a fixed Biosafety Level 3 laboratory in the capital city of Sierra Leone,was established by the Chinese government and has been active in EBOV detection since 11 March 2015.Complete management and program documents were created for the SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab,and it was divided into four zones(the green,yellow,brown,and red zones)based on the risk assessment.Different types of safe and appropriate personnel protection equipment(PPE)are used in different zones of the laboratory,and it fully meets the Biosafety Level 3 laboratory standards of the World Health Organization.Conclusion:Good preparedness,comprehensive risk assessment and operation documents,appropriate PPE,effective monitoring and intensive training,together with well-designed and reasonable laboratory sectioning are essential for guaranteeing biosafety.

Establishment of a Chinese street rabies virus library and its application for detecting neutralizing activity

Background:The injection of rabies immune globulin(RIG)is of the utmost importance in the management of category III exposures to rabies-suspect animals.Because of the high cost and limited availability of existing RIG,one possible replacement for RIG is monoclonal antibodies(MAbs)against the rabies virus(RABV).Consequently,it is necessary to determine the neutralizing activity of the MAbs against rabies viruses,especially street rabies virus.However,the method to detect the neutralizing activity of MAbs against street rabies virus remains undefined.Methods:To establish a method for detecting the neutralizing activity of MAbs against street rabies virus,we constructed a library consisting of 12 strains of street RABV from 11 provinces in China.Using this street RABV library and the Reed-Muench formula,we established a method for detecting the neutralizing titer of the MAbs.The reliability and repeatability of the method were evaluated by repeatedly measuring the neutralizing activity of a MAb and a post vaccination serum.Results:A total of 12 strains of street RABV were chosen for inclusion in the street RABV library,which covered six Chinese lineages(China I-China VI)and grew to high titers in N2A cells(>105 FFD50/ml).On the basis of the library,we constructed the method to detect the neutralizing activity of the MAbs.The results of repeatedly measuring the MAbs and positive serum showed excellent reliability and repeatability of the method established in this study.Conclusions:This study established a street RABV library reflecting the epidemiological features of Chinese rabies viruses,which provides a platform for detecting the neutralizing activity of MAbs against rabies viruses circulating in China.

HIV prevalence in suspected Ebola cases during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone

Background:The 2014-2016 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa was the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease(EVD)in history.Clarifying the influence of other prevalent diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS)will help improve treatment and supportive care of patients with EVD.Case presentation:We examined HIV and hepatitis C virus(HCV)antibody prevalence among suspected EVD cases from the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory during the epidemic in Sierra Leone.HIV and HCV antibodies were tested in 678 EVD-negative samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.A high HIV prevalence(17.6%)and low HCV prevalence(0.22%)were observed among the suspected cases.Notably,we found decreased HIV positive rates among the suspected cases over the course of the epidemic.This suggests a potentially beneficial effect of an improved public health system after assistance from the World Health Organization and other international aid organizations.Conclusions:This EVD epidemic had a considerable impact on the public health system and influenced the prevalence of HIV found among suspected cases in Sierra Leone,but also provided an opportunity to establish a better surveillance network for infectious diseases.

Rabies virus transmission via solid organs or tissue allotransplantation

Background:Rabies,for which the mortality rate is almost 100%,is a zoonotic viral disease that can be transmitted via solid organs or tissue allotransplantation.Dozens of deaths from rabies via solid organs or tissues allotransplantation(ROTA)have been documented during the last decades.In 2015 and 2016,two cases of rabies virus transmission via solid organs or tissue allotransplantation were reported in China,which further underscore the risk and importance of this special type of rabies for organ transplant recipients.Main text:From 1978 to 2017,at least 13 cases of ROTA,causing dozens of deaths,have been reported worldwide,whether in the high-risk or low-risk countries of rabies.The reported incubation period of ROTA ranges from 11 days to more than 17 months,while the historical incubation period of rabies is generally considered to range from~1 week to several years.The pathogenesis of ROTA is not clear,but the use of post-exposure prophylaxis(PEP)can play a protective role in the transplant recipients.We also summarize reports about ROTA in China,combined with the actual situation regarding work on rabies surveillance and elimination,and suggest countermeasures for the prevention and control of ROTA in the future.Conclusions:Understanding the significance of ROTA,screening the suspected organs,assessing the risk and protecting the related population will be effective way to prevent and control further occurrence of ROTA.

Voice from China:nomenclature of the novel coronavirus and related diseases

Since early December 2019,the novel coronavirus has caused an outbreak of pneumonia that has claimed over 2000 lives,with more than 77,000 confirmed cases of infection by February 23,2020 in China.[1]The World Health Organization(WHO)recently named the disease caused by this new coronavirus as"coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)".The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses(ICTV)has named the new virus"severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)".[2]However,questions have been raised by different academic and professional bodies regarding whether the nomenclature is appropriate.