MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET - INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES SECTION I - INFECTIOUS AGENT NAME: Borrelia burgdorferi SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: Lyme disease, Lyme borreliosis, relapsing fever, Erythema migrans (EM) with polyarthritis, Lyme arthritis, Tickborne meningopolyneuritis CHARACTERISTICS: Spirochete, first identified in 1982 SECTION II - HEALTH HAZARD PATHOGENICITY: Tickborne zoonotic disease characterized by distinctive skin lesion (EM, a red macule or papule that expands in an annular manner), systemic symptoms, polyarthritis, and neurologic and cardiac involvement; malaise, fatigue, fever, headache, stiff neck, mylagia, migratory arthralgias or lympadenopathy lasting several weeks and may precede lesions; neurological and cardiac abnormalities weeks to months after onset of EM; chronic arthritis may develop EPIDEMIOLOGY: In USA, endemic foci along east coast, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Oregon; One endemic area in Southern Ontario; Europe, Soviet Union and independant states, Australia, China and Japan; cases occur primarily during summer; distribution coincides with abundance of relevant ticks HOST RANGE: Humans, deer, wild rodents INFECTIOUS DOSE: Unknown MODE OF TRANSMISSION: By exposure to an infected tick INCUBATION PERIOD: From 3-32 days after tick exposure COMMUNICABILITY: No evidence of natural transmission from person to person SECTION III - DISSEMINATION RESERVOIR: Deer, wild rodents (mice), ticks through transstadial transmission ZOONOSIS: Yes - bite of tick from an infected animal VECTORS: Ticks - Ixodes scapularis (formerly Ixodes dammini) - eastern and midwestern USA Ixodes pacificus (western USA) Ixodes ricinus (Europe) Ixodes persulcatus (Asia) SECTION IV - VIABILITY DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: Sensitive to doxycycline (adults) and amoxicillin (adults and children < 9 years); erythromycin for those allergic to penicillins or tetracyclines SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to 1% sodium hypochlorite and 70% ethanol PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Sensitive to heat, UV SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Infected guinea pig blood - 28 to 35 days at room temperature; survives for short periods in urine; can survive up to 48 days at 4°C in human blood processed for transfusion SECTION V - MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for appearance of typical lesions; serological tests (IFA, ELISA) show a rise in antibodies directed against the spirochete FIRST AID/TREATMENT: Treatment of EM stage with doxycycline for adults and amoxicillin for children may prevent or lessen the severity of the major late cardiac, neurologic or arthritic complications IMMUNIZATION: Newly developed recombinant outer-surface protein A vaccine (LYMErixT, SmithKline Beecham Biologicals) became licensed for use in the United States in December 1998 PROPHYLAXIS: Not generally warranted for a tick bite alone SECTION VI - LABORATORY HAZARDS LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: None reported specifically for B. burgdorferi, however there have been 45 reported cases up to 1976 with 2 deaths for B. recurrentis and B. duttoni SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Clinical specimens - blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, skin scrapings, retinal and synovial specimens; naturally or experimentally infected mammals, their ectoparasites and their infected tissues PRIMARY HAZARDS: Accidental parenteral inoculation and exposure to infectious aerosols SPECIAL HAZARDS: Ectoparasites (ticks) on laboratory animals SECTION VII - RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety Level 2 practices, containment equipment and facilities for activities involving known or potentially infectious materials, including necropsy of infected animals PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Laboratory coat; gloves should be worn during necropsy of infected animals and when contact with infectious materials is unavoidable OTHER PRECAUTIONS: None SECTION VIII - HANDLING INFORMATION SPILLS: Allow aerosols to settle; wearing protective clothing, gently cover spill with paper towels and apply 1% sodium hypochlorite, starting at perimeter and working way towards the centre of the spill; allow sufficient contact time (30 min) before clean up DISPOSAL: Decontaminate before disposal - steam sterilization, chemical disinfection, incineration STORAGE: In sealed containers that are appropriately labelled SECTION IX - MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Date prepared: November 1999 Prepared by: Office of Laboratory Security, PHAC Although the information, opinions and recommendations contained in this Material Safety Data Sheet are compiled from sources believed to be reliable, we accept no responsibility for the accuracy, sufficiency, or reliability or for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information. Newly discovered hazards are frequent and this information may not be completely up to date. Copyright © [Material Safety Data Sheets - Index]
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Last Updated: 2001-01-23 |