All testing procedures must be performed within a certified Class II biological safety cabinet (BSC).

When handling the Bioterrorism agent, white powder the following should be implemented:

1. Commercially available household bleach solution containing 5.25% hypochlorite, when diluted 1:10 is effective in routine decontamination of surfaces and instruments after working with B. anthracis.
2. Contaminated items such as pipettes, disposable loops etc. should be immersed in decontamination solution until autoclaving.
3. Spills involving fresh cultures or samples known to have low concentrations of the organism should be flooded with decontamination solution and soaked for 5 minutes before clean up.
4. Spills that involve samples with high concentrations of the organism, organic matter, or occur in areas of lower than room temperature (refrigerators, freezers) should be exposed to decontamination solution for at least one hour before clean up.
5. Persons involved in the clean up of spills should wear gloves, safety glasses, and a laboratory coat or gown during the clean up process.
6. Respiratory protection should be considered for spills in which a substantial aerosolization is suspected when handling the powder.

1. All infectious waste must be placed in autoclavable pans or bags for decontamination.
2. Disinfectant solution must be placed in discard pans so as to begin the decontamination process.
3. All infectious waste must be autoclaved and / or incinerated before disposal
4. Waste should be autoclaved as close to the point of generation as possible.
5. Biological indicators must be used to monitor the effectiveness of the autoclaving process. Waste may also be autoclaved centrally (away from the lab) however, it must be packaged in leakproof bags and containers and must be properly transported to the central autoclave.
6. After autoclaving, ideally, all waste should be incinerated for complete destruction.
7. All waste handlers must be properly trained to handle infectious laboratory waste.

Laboratories that do not have the facilities to perform the testing should contact CAREC for further information.

Specimens that are to be transported on land must be packaged so as to fully contain the specimen while in transit.

The triple packaging system must be used.

1. The primary receptacle. The specimen must be placed in a leakproof primary receptacle. If the specimen is a powder in an envelope, place this envelope in a zip lock bag.
2. The secondary receptacle. This is a durable secondary container that encloses and protects the primary receptacle. If the specimen is a liquid there must be sufficient absorbent material between the primary and secondary receptacles to absorb the entire contents of the primary receptacle.
3. The outer package. The secondary receptacle must be placed in an outer package that protects it from physical damage.

Specimen Type:

Transport all specimens to the laboratory at room temperature

Specimen Processing:

All testing procedures must be performed within a certified Class II biological safety cabinet (BSC). (Refer to the laboratory safety guidelines above)