CASE HISTORY In 2004,three People in Boston Came Down with a Virulent

Essay

CASE HISTORY
In 2004,three people in Boston came down with a virulent form of pneumonia.An investigation by public health officials discovered that all three worked at the same laboratory studying Francisella tularensis,a bacterium that is highly infectious (although not usually spread by person-to-person contact).Under specific conditions,the organism can be aerosolized and inhaled and cause deadly pneumonia-making it a possible bioterrorism agent.Its handling is highly restricted by U.S.Homeland Security.Scientists studying this bacterium must use extreme precautionary measures to ensure that it cannot escape the laboratory.The investigation determined that the Boston researchers had indeed contracted tularemia.The scientists appear to have handled the organism in several instances without wearing or using proper protective gear-for example,examining agar plates containing the organism outside a biosafety containment hood.From the type of disease and the laboratory procedures performed,it seemed that the victims,who all fully recovered,inhaled the organism while working with it.
When working with a Risk Group III level organism,the scientists should have known what types of precautions to take to decrease their risk of susceptibility.
What are protective measures they should have used to decrease their risk of susceptibility?