The Lanzhou <i>Brucella</i> Leak: The Largest Laboratory Accident in the History of Infectious Diseases?
Γεώργιος Παππάς
Abstract
An inadequacy in sanitizing processes in a biopharmaceutical plant in Lanzhou, China, during July and August 2019, led to the aerosolization of Brucella that was subsequently spread through wind to nearby settlements and academic institutes, resulting in >10 000 human brucellosis cases, as of November 2020. The leak, possibly the largest laboratory accident in the history of infectious diseases, underlines the particular characteristics of Brucella that have made the pathogen a historical entity in biodefense research and a major cause of laboratory-associated infections. It further underlines the need for enhanced vigilance and strict regulatory interventions in similar facilities.
Topics & Concepts
BrucellosisMedicineBrucellaInfectious disease (medical specialty)Environmental healthAerosolizationOutbreakBiodefenseVeterinary medicineVirologyDiseasePathologyAnatomyInhalationBrucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatmentZoonotic diseases and public healthBacillus and Francisella bacterial research