Volume 01 · Issue 02 · 2019

The launch of the new journal, Biosafety and Health, presents me with a unique opportunity to recount the progress of laboratory biosafety (LB) in China and my contribution to this area over the past 30 years. Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003, China has constructed a primary network of high-level biosafety laboratories at different levels and established an expert team on LB. Furthermore, a series of LB management documents, including laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines, have been developed and published. This gradually maturing LB system has played a pivotal role in emerging infectious disease control and prevention, as well as in research, which in turn contributes to public health. In recent years, international collaboration between China and other countries has also been accelerated. Despite these achievements, we are still facing many challenges and opportunities in the field of LB. Sustainable LB development requires the joint efforts of the entire society and continuous international cooperation to safeguard global public health.

The paper examines the utility of codes of conduct for promoting responsible science and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) security education. It reviews the growing international consensus on the need for developing codes of conduct as a way of engaging scientists with the broader social, ethical, and legal implications of their work and examines the ongoing efforts to develop and promulgate such codes. The paper argues that the effectiveness of codes of conduct requires sustained and tailored effort in promoting education and awareness of security issues among scientists.

Yersinia pestis is the bacteria that causes plague, one of the deadliest diseases in human history. Three major plague pandemics (the Justinian Plague, the Black Death and the Modern Plague) have been recorded. Each caused massive fatalities and has become defining events in the time periods in places that were affected. The presence of natural plague foci in rodents across the world is one of the risk factors for human plague. While plague is a relatively rare problem for most countries, more than 90% of plague cases in the world still occur in Africa. This article discusses the threat of Yersinia pestis in the modern world by considering its prevalence and severity of illness it causes, transmission, antibiotic resistance, and its potential as a bioweapon.

Clostridium perfringens ε-toxin (ETX) is the main toxin resulting in enterotoxemia of sheep and goats. ETX can cause lesions of multiple organs, such as hydropericardium, pulmonary edema and focal symmetrical encephalomalcia (FSE). Significant advancements have been made in studies of the cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity of ETX; however, candidates of ETX receptor still remain unconfirmed. Evidence has indicated several candidate molecules to be involved in the recognition and binding of ETX to different target cells. Myelin and lymphocyte (MAL) protein might be one of the candidate receptors for ETX, although this action needs further confirmation. Multiple signaling pathways of cell death are involved in the cytotoxicity of ETX. In Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells cytotoxicity of ETX was thought to be associated with pore formation, which induces destruction of cellular ion balance. Hemolysis of human erythrocytes induced by ETX required activation of P2 receptors. Therefore, host-related factors are involved in ETX-induced cytotoxicity, which provides potential targets to block the toxic effect of ETX.

Ebola virus (EBOV), a member of the filovirus family, is an enveloped negative-sense RNA virus that causes lethal infections in humans and primates. Thousands of people have died from the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa, and no specific antiviral medication and treatment have been approved for EVD. Although the development of an EBOV vaccine is promising, immunity to any vaccine is not immediate. Here, we computationally analysed the structure of EBOV glycoprotein GP2 (GP2EBOV) and designed RNA aptamers that recognize and inhibit it. The aptamers specifically bind to conserved arginine residues (Arg587 and Arg596) located in the C-terminal coiled-coil region of GP2EBOV. Molecular docking of the synthetic RNA aptamers with the ectodomain of GP2EBOV revealed that the optimized orthogonal RNA aptamers have strong binding affinities with the coiled-coil region of GP2EBOV. The characterized RNA aptamers may facilitate strategies to block replication of EBOV and related Filoviruses, and thus may serve as important antivirals to reduce mortality associated with these infections.

The human liver chimeric mouse is a milestone animal model for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Such mice with primary human hepatocyte (PHH) transplantation are adequate to support chronic HBV infection for several weeks and to evaluate antiviral drugs. However, the drawbacks of PHHs include lack of available donors, poor expansion in vitro and ethical issues that limit the application of human liver chimeric mice, necessitating the search for alternatives. Here, we transplanted primary tupaia hepatocytes (PTHs) into the livers of immunodeficient mice and achieved high liver chimerism within six weeks. These tupaia liver chimeric mice are adequate to support chronic infection of the four common HBV genotypes A, B, C and D for 36 weeks, as well as evaluate of antiviral drugs, including hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG), monoclonal antibody and nucleoside analogues (NAs), for preventative therapy and treatment post infection. In conclusion, the tupaia liver chimeric mouse model provides a convenient, efficient and stable animal model for chronic HBV infection and long-term drug evaluation.

Human interaction with animals has been implicated as a primary risk factor for several high impact zoonoses, including many bat-origin viral diseases. However the animal-to-human spillover events that lead to emerging diseases are rarely observed or clinically examined, and the link between specific interactions and spillover risk is poorly understood. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted biological-behavioral surveillance among rural residents in Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangdong districts of Southern China, where we have identified a number of SARS-related coronaviruses in bats. Serum samples were tested for four bat-borne coronaviruses using newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Survey data were used to characterize associations between human-animal contact and bat coronavirus spillover risk. A total of 1,596 residents were enrolled in the study from 2015 to 2017. Nine participants (0.6%) tested positive for bat coronaviruses. 265 (17%) participants reported severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and/or influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms in the past year, which were associated with poultry, carnivore, rodent/shrew, or bat contact, with variability by family income and district of residence. This study provides serological evidence of bat coronavirus spillover in rural communities in Southern China. The low seroprevalence observed in this study suggests that bat coronavirus spillover is a rare event. Nonetheless, this study highlights associations between human-animal interaction and zoonotic spillover risk. These findings can be used to support targeted biological behavioral surveillance in high-risk geographic areas in order to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease emergence.

The positive pressure biological protective suit is the highest degree of personal protective equipment, and its performance directly impacts the health and safety of the wearer. Protection factor is the most critical measure of the performance of a positive pressure bio-protective suit. This study establishes a dynamic detection system for the positive pressure bio-protective suit, to evaluate its safety risks, and explores methods to reduce these risks. A manikin was used to perform human actions, such as raising the arms, sitting, and walking, that were simulated at different levels. Integrity breaches of different shapes and sizes were made to different parts of the suit for evaluation. The aerosol concentration and the pressure of the suit were detected. Positive-pressure suits provide exceptionally good protection even in accident scenarios and provide a greater flexibility and more ergonomic benefits. However, sufficiently large (>3 cm) breaches caused a negative-pressure and an inward airflow during vigorous activities. The location of the breach site on the suit also had a significant effect on bio-aerosol leakage. Studies have shown that effective methods to avoid the risk of damage include increasing the air supply flow and performing gentle movements while wearing the suit. The dynamic detection method and the results obtained in this study are a significant advance to predict and avoid the risks associated with powered air-purifying suits.

The global movement of people and goods has increased the risk of biosecurity threats and their potential to induce large economic, social, and environmental harm. Integration of biosafety monitoring networks has become a top priority for addressing biosafety issues. In order to resolve the data standards and integration problems in the field of biosafety in China, the Biosafety Surveillance Conceptual Data Model (BSCDM), which is an object-oriented, hierarchically designed, flexible and scalable biosafety surveillance concept data model, is proposed in this article. This model is based on the integration of business process management and data resources of disease surveillance, animal disease surveillance and potential invasive biological monitoring. In reference to the Public Health Conceptual Data Model (PHCDM) and Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA), BSCDM conducts a thorough analysis of biosafety monitoring activities, records basic information requirements of biosafety monitoring and provides data set standards for biosafety-related activities. It is developed with the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and could be applied as an open standard for accelerating data analysis and promoting collaboration. This study attempts to integrate biosafety monitoring data and the presented model has been tested in the detection of dengue fever in China and will be applied to other biosafety fields.