Laboratory-acquired infections: Recently reported cases and related studies

  • From 2000 to 2004
  • From 2005 to 2009
  • From 2010 to 2016
  • Note : We stopped updating the references listed on this page in 2016. Although we do not rule out the possibility of updating the information in the future, for the time being, this page should be seen more as an archive. Other articles or reports on the subject of LAIs have certainly been published since 2016, which you should be able to find via other sites or search tools.

2000 to 2004

  • Fiori PL, Mastrandrea S, Rappelli P, Cappuccinelli P. Brucella abortus infection acquired in microbiology laboratories. J Clin Microbiol 2000; 38(5): 2005-2006.
  • Boutet R, Stuart JM, Kaczmarski EB, Gray SJ, Jones DM, Andrews N. Risk of laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease. J Hosp Infect. 2001; 49(4): 282-284.
  • Laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 22, 2002
  • Shapiro DS, Schwartz DR. Exposure of laboratory workers to Francisella tularensis despite a bioterrorism procedure. J Clin Microbiol. 2002; 40(6):2278-2281.
  • Suspected Cutaneous Anthrax in a Laboratory Worker (Texas), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 5, 2002
  • Laboratory-Acquired West Nile Virus Infections (USA), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 20, 2002
  • Gosbell IB, Mercer JL, Neville SA. Laboratory-acquired EMRSA-15 infection. J Hosp. Infection. 2003; 54: 324-325.
  • Moussatché N, Tuyama M, Kato SE, Castro AP, Njaine B, Peralta RH, Peralta JM, Damaso CR, Barroso PF. Accidental infection of laboratory worker with vaccinia virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2003; 9(6): 724-726
  • Laboratory-Acquired vaccinia infection. Public Health Agency of Canada, August 1, 2003
  • Mempel M, Isa G, Klugbauer N, Meyer H, Wildi G, Ring J, Hofmann F, Hofmann H. Laboratory acquired infection with recombinant vaccinia virus containing an immunomodulating construct. J Invest Dermatol. 2003; 120(3):356-358.
  • Reis RK and Canini SR. Accidents with biological material among undergraduate nursing students in public Brazilian university. Braz J Inf Dis. 2004; 8: 18-24
  • Noviello S, Gallo R, Kelly M, Limberger RJ, DeAngelis K, Cain L, Wallace B, Dumas L. Laboratory-Acquired Brucellosis. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2004; 10:1848-1850
  • Christen G, Tagan D. Laboratory-acquired Neisseria meningitidis infection (case report in french). Med Mal Infect. 2004; 34 (3): 137-138.
  • Ebola virus , Lab Accident Death - Russia (Promedmail - report1 - report2 - report3 - report4): May 22, 2 004.
  • Stone R. Russian scientist dies after Ebola lab accident. Science 2004;304:1225.
  • Suganan AP, Natarajaseenivasan K, Vijayachari P, Sehgal SC. Percutaneous exposure resulting in laboratory-acquired leptospirosis - a case report. J Med Microbiol. 2004; 53: 1259-1262
  • Wlodaver CG, Palumbo GJ, Waner JL. Laboratory-acquired vaccinia infection. J. Clin. Virol. 2004; 29 (3): 167-170.
  • SARS. Lim PL, Kurup A, Gopalakrishna G et al., Laboratory-acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 1740-1745.

2005 to 2009

  • Tularemia Laboratory-Acquired (Promedmail - report1 - report2 - report3): January 19 - 26, 2005.
  • Brutus JP, Lamraski G, Zirak C, Hauzeur JP, Thys JP, Schuind F. Septic monoarthritis of the first carpo-metacarpal joint caused by Mycobacterium kansasii. Chir Main. 2005; 24: 52-54. (Report of an acquired infection due to M. kansasii in a healthy laboratory technician).
  • Akinfeyeva LA, Aksyonova OI, Vasilyevich IV, et al. A case of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Infektsionnye Bolezni (Moscow). 2005; 3(1):85–88 [Russian].
  • Barry MA. Report of pneumonic tularemia in three Boston university researchers. Communicable Disease Control, Boston Public Health Commission. March 28, 2005
  • Bouza E, Sanchez-Carrillo C, Hernangomez S, Gonzalez MJ. The spanish co-operative group for the study of laboratory-acquired brucellosis. Laboratory-acquired brucellosis: a spanish national survey. J Hosp Infect 2005; 61: 80-83.
  • Weigler BJ, Di Giacomo RF, Alexander F. A national survey of laboratory animal workers concerning accupationnal risks for zoonotic diseases. Comp Med 2005 Apr; 55(2): 183-191.
  • The Sunshine Project, News release: Faulty aerosol chamber infects three. 18 April 2005 (link). Three reported laboratory-acquired tuberculosis infections (work with aerosol chamber).
  • Spina N, Zansky S, Dumas N, Kondracki S. Four laboratory-associated cases of infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7. J Clin Microbiol 2005 June;43(6): 2938-2939.
  • Sejvar JJ, Johnson D, Popovic T, Miller JM, Downes F, Somsel P, Weyant R, Stephens DS, Perkins BA, Rosenstein NE. Assessing the risk of laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease. J Clin Microbiol 2005 Sep; 43(9): 4811-4814.
  • Lewis FMT, Chernak E, Goldman E, Li Y, Karem K, Damon IK, Henkel R, Newbern EC, Ross P, Johnson CC. Ocular Vaccinia Infection in Laboratory Worker, Philadelphia 2004. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2006; 12: 134-137
  • Wagenvoort JHT, De Brauwer EIGB, Gronenschild JMH, Toenbreker HMJ, Bonnemayers GPM, Bilkert-Mooiman MAJ. Laboratory-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in two microbiology laboratory technicians. Eur J Clin Microbiol & Infectious Diseases 2006; July 25(7) : 470-472.
  • Borisevich IV, Markin VA, Firsova IV, et al. Hemorrhagic (Marburg, Ebola, Lassa, and Bolivian) fevers: epidemiology, clinical pictures, and treatment. Voprosy Virusologii – Problems of Virology (Moscow). 2006;51(5):8–16 [Russian].
  • De Schrijver K, Lemmens A, Bertrand S, Collard JM, Eilers K. Een laboratoriuminfectie met Shigella sonnei gevolgd door een cluster van secundaire infecties. Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde 2007; 63 (14-15): 686-690. Available in Dutch only. (Abstract in English: Outbreak of Shigella sonnei in a clinical microbiology laboratory with secondary infections in the community).
  • Athlin S, Vikerfors T, Fredlund H, Olcén P. Atypical clinical presentation of laboratory-acquired meningococcal disease. Scand J Inf Dis. 2007; 29: 911-921.
  • Kessler AT, Stephens DS, Somani J. Laboratory-acquired serogroup A meningococcal meningitis. J Occup Health 2007; 49: 399-401.
  • Salmonella Serotype Enteritidis Infections Among Workers Producing Poultry Vaccine, Maine. November - December 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 31, 2007, 56(34);877-879
  • Laboratory-Acquired Brucellosis. In 2006, two cases of brucellosis in microbiologists at two clinical laboratories were reported to state health departments in Indiana and Minnesota. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 18, 2008
  • Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia Exposures and Infections, United States, 2005 - 2007. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 18, 2008
  • Peacock SJ, Schweizer HP, Dance DAB, Smith TL, Gee JE, Wuthiekunan V, et al. Management of accidental laboratory exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei. Emerg Infect Dis. Jul 2008
  • Bouza E, Martin A, Van den Berg R, J. Kuijper EJ. Laboratory-acquired Clostridium difficile polymerase chain reaction ribotype 027: a new risk for laboratory workers? Clin Infect Dis 2008; 47 (11) 1493-94.
  • Kortepeter MG, Martin JW, Rusnak JM, Cieslak TJ, Warfield KL, Anderson EL, Ranadive MV. Managing Potential Laboratory Exposure to Ebola Virus by Using a Patient Biocontainment Care Unit1. Emer Infect Dis. 2008;14(6):881-887. 
  • Demirdal T, Demirturk N. Laboratory-acquired brucellosis. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2008; 37 (1): 86-87.
  • Van Droogenbroeck C, Beeckman DS, Verminnen K, Marien M, Nauwynck H, Boesinghe Lde T, Vanrompay D. Simultaneous zoonotic transmission of Chlamydophila psittaci genotypes D, F and E/B to a veterinary scientist. Vet Microbiol. 2009; 135 (1-2): 78-81.
  • Needle Stick Injury, Ebola virus, one case in Germany. Promedmail - report1 - report2 - report3: March 17, 2009.
  • Venter M, Burt FJ, Blumberg L, Fickl H, Paweska J, Swanepoel, R. Cytokine induction after laboratory-acquired West Nile virus infection. N Engl J Med 2009; 360 (12): 1260-2.
  • Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia Virus Infection, United States (Virginia), 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 31, 2009
  • Kinoshita-Yanaga AT, de Ornelas Toledo MJ, Marques de Araujo S, Vier BP, Gomes ML. Accidental infection by Trypanosoma cruzi follow-up by the polymerase chain reaction: case report. Rev Inst Med trop S Paulo 2009; 51(5): 295-298.
  • Tularemia, Laboratory-acquired - USA Maryland. Reported in "Science Insider", American Association for the Advancement of Science, December 4, 2009.

2010 to 2016

  • Huhulescu S, Leither E, Feierl G, Allerberger F. Laboratory-acquired Vibrio cholerae O1 infection in Austria, 2008. Clin Microbiol Infect 2010; 16: 1303-1304.
  • Venter M, Steyl J, Human S, Weyer J, Zaayman D, Blumberg L, et al. Transmission of West Nile virus during horse autopsy [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2010.
  • Wünschel M, Olszowsli AM, Weissgerber P, Wülker N, Kluba T. Chronic brucellosis: A rare cause of septic loosening of arthroplasties with high risk of laboratory-acquired infections. Z Orthop Unfall 2010; April 23
  • Schulze zur Wiesch J, Wichmann D, Sobottka I, Rohde H, Schmoock G, Wernery R, Schmiedel S, Dieter Burchard G, Melzer F. Genomic tandem repeat analysis proves laboratory-acquired brucellosis in veterinary (Camel) diagnostic laboratory in the United Arab Emirates. Zoonoses Public Health. 2010; 57: 315-317.
  • Eales KM, Norton RE, Keltheesan N. Brucellosis in Northern Australia. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010; 83 (4): 876-878. One laboratory-acquired case reported in the paper.
  • Feldmann H. Are we any closer to combating Ebola infections? Lancet. 2010; 375(9729):1850-1852. 
  • Cowpox, Laboratory infection. One reported case in USA (Georgia). Promedmail report: February 9, 2011.
  • Belchior I, Seabra B, Duarte R. Primary inoculation skin tuberculosis by accidental needle stick. BMJ case reports 2011: DOI:10.1136/bcr.11.2010.3486
  • Fatal Laboratory-Acquired Infection with an Attenuated Yersinia pestis Strain. USA (Chicago, Illinois), 2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 25, 2011.
  • Frank KM, Shieh WJ. Investigation of a Researcher's Death Due to Septicemic plague. NEJM 2011; 364(26):2563-64.
  • Pedrosa PBS, Cardoso TAO. Viral infections in workers in hospital and research laboratory settings: a comparative review of infection modes and respective biosafety aspects. Int J Infect Dis. 2011, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2011.03.005.
  • Günther S, Feldmann H, Geisbert T.W., et al. Management of Accidental Exposure to Ebola Virus in the Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory, Hamburg,Germany. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2011; 204 (Suppl 3): 785-790.
  • Laboratory exposure - Bacillus cereus - USA. Promedmail report: September 14, 2011.
  • Britton S, van den Hurk AF, Simmons, RJ et al. Laboratory-acquired Dengue virus infection - A case report. PLoS Negelcted Tropical Diseases 2011; 5 (11): e1324.
  • Investigation update: Human Salmonella Typhimurium infections associated with exposure to clinical and teaching microbiology laboratories. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 17, 2012.
  • Sayin-Kutlu S, Kutlu M, Ergonul O et al. Laboratory-acquired brucellosis in Turkey. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2012; 80: 326-330.
  • Sam IC, Karunakaran R, Kamarulzaman A et al. A large exposure to Brucella melitensis in a diagnostic laboratory. Journal of Hospital Infection 2012; 80: 321-325.
  • McCollum AM, Austin C, Nawrocki J, Howland J, Pryde J, Vaid A et al. Investigation of the first laboratory-acquired human cowpox virus infection in the United States. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2012; Advance Access Published May 9. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jis302.
  • Lam ST, Sammons-Jackson W, Sherwood J, Ressner R. Laboratory-aquired tularemia successfully treated with ciprofloxacin. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice. 2012; 20 (3): 204-207.
  • Felinto de Brito ME, Andrade MS, de Almeida EL, Medeiros AC, Werkhäuser RP et al. Occupationally acquired american cutaneous leishmaniasis. Case Rep Dermatol Med 2012; Epub Nov 28. DOI: 10.1155/2012/279517.
  • Seetharam V, Khanna V, Jaiprakash P, Kosaraju K, Thomas, J, Mukhopadhayay C. Primary Hydatid Cyst of the Kidney and Ureter with Hydatiduria in a Laboratory Worker: a case report. Case Reports in Nephrology. 2012; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3914243/
  • Traxler RM, Lehman MW, Bosserman EA, Guerra MA, Smith TL. A Litterature Review of Laboratory-Acquired Brucellosis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2013; published online ahead of print on 3 July. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00135-13.
  • Traxler RM, Guerra MA, Morrow MG, Haupt T, Saah JR et al. Review of Brucellosis from Laboratory Exposure in the United States, 2008-2011, and Improved Strategies for Disease Prevention. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2013; published online ahead of print on 3 July. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00813-13.
  • Knudsen A, Kronborg G, Dahl Knudsen J, Lebech AM. Laboratory exposure to Brucella melitensis in Denmark: a prospective study. Journal of Hospital Infection 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2013.08.005.
  • Costa GB, Moreno EC, Trindade GDS, Studies Group in Bovine Vaccinia. Neutralizing anitbodies associated with exposure factors to Orthopoxvirus in laboratory workers. Vaccine 2013; 31:4706-4709.
  • Mailles A, Vaillant V. Bilan de 10 années de surveillance de la tularémie chez l'homme en France. 4 reported cases of laboratory-acquired tularemia. Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Legal depot September 2013, ISSN: 1956-6956, ISBN-NET: 978-2-11-138342-5. {whole report in French, summary in English}
  • Salmonella Typhimurium infections associated with a community college microbiology laboratory - Maine, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 1, 2013.
  • Calixto Rodrigues AL, Kneipp Lopes da Silva S, Alves Pinto BL, Braga da Silva J, Tupinambas U. Outbreak of Laboratory acquired Brucella abortus in Brazil: a case report. Revista de Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical. 2013; 46(6): 791-794.
  • Riyesh T, Karuppusamy S, Bera BC, Barua S, Virmani N et al. Laboratory-acquired Buffalopox Virus Infection, India. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2014; 20(2):325-326.
  • Sheets CD, Harriman K, Zipprich J, Louie JK, Probert WS, Horowitz M, Prudhomme JC, Gold D, Mayer L. Fatal Meningococcal Disease in a Laboratory Woker - California 2012.Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014, September 5; 63(35): 770-772.
  • Kozajda A, Brodka K, Szadowska-Stanczyk I. Factors influencing biosafety level and LAI among staff of medical laboratories. Med Pr 2014; 64(4):473-486.
  • Israeli E. A hantavirus killed an israeli researcher: hazards while working with wild animals (article in Hebrew). Harefuah 2014; 153(8): 443-4, 499.
  • Dentinger CM, Jacob K, Lee LV, Mendez HA, Chotikanatis K, McDonough PL, Chico DM, De BK, Tiller RV, Traxler RM, Campagnolo ER, Schmitt D, Guerra MA, Slavinski SA. Human Brucella canis infection and subsequent laboratory exposures associated with a puppy, New York City, 2012. Zoonoses and Public Health. 2014;xx:1-8. doi: 10.1111/zph.12163
  • Korioth-Schmitz B, Affeln D, Simon SL, Decaneas WM, Schweon GB, Wong M, Gardner A. Vaccinia Virus - Laboratory Tool with a Risk of Laboratory-acquired Infection. Applied Biosafety 2015;20(1):6-11.
  • Campbell MJ. Characterizing Accidents, Exposures, and Laboratory-acquired Infections Reported to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnology Activities (NIH/OBA) Division Under the NIH Guidelines for work with Recombinant DNA Materials from 1976-2010. Applied Biosafety 2015;20(1):12-26.
  • Hsu CH, Farland J,  Winters T, Gunn J, Caron D,  Evans J, Osadebe L, Bethune L, McCollum AM, Patel N, Wilkins K, Davidson W, Petersen B, Barry MA. Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia Virus Infection in a Recently Immunized Person — Massachusetts, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015, May 1; 64(16);435-4382015.
  • Langford MP, Anders EA, Burch MA. Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis: anti-coxsackievirus A24 variant secretory immunoglobulin A in acute and convalescent tear. Clinical Ophtalmology 2015; 9: 1665-1673.
  • Barker A, Duster M, Van Hoof S, Safdar N. Nontyphoidal Salmonella: An occupational Hazard for Clinical Laboratory Workers. Applied Biosafety 2015;20(2):72-74.
  • Alexander DC, Fitzgerald SF, De Paulo R, Kitzul R, Daku D, Levett PN, Cameron AD. Laboratorium-Acquired Infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium Exposed by Whole Genome Sequencing. J Clin Microbiol 2015; pii: JCM 02720-15 (Epub ahead of print).
  • Duman Y, Yakupogullari Y, Otlu B, Tekerekoglu MS. Laboratory-acquired skin infections in a clinical microbiologist: is wearing only gloves really safe? Am J of Inf Control 2016; doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.01.016
  • Lee C, Jang EJ, Kwon D, Choi H, Park JVV, Bae GR. Laboratory-acquired dengue virus infection by needlestick injury: a case report, South Korea, 2014. Ann Occup Environ Med 2016, 28: 16. doi.org/10.1186/s40557-016-0104-5
  • Garofolo G, Fasanella A, Di Giannatale E, Platone I, Sacchini L, Persiani T, Boskani T, Rizzardi K, Wahab T. Cases of human brucellosis in Sweden linked to Middle East and Africa. BMC Res Notes 2016; 9:277. doi 10.1186/s13104-016-2074-7 One case of laboratory-acquired brucellosis is reported in this article.