A Review of Laboratory Biosafety and Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines on the Management of High-Risk Pathogens in Canada

The safety precautions required for certain pathogens are different in clinical laboratories and patient-facing healthcare settings, causing confusion for laboratorians and infection preventionists. The current review aims to summarize information from reputable Government of Canada guidance commonly used in clinical laboratories in Canada, including the Government of Canada Human Pathogens and Toxins Act and Regulations, the ePATHogen—Risk Group Database, biosafety directives and advisories, Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, and the Canadian Biosafety Standard (2022). Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (2020), Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institution’s (CLSI) M29 Protection of Laboratory Workers from Occupationally Acquired Infections (2014), and Association of Public Health Laboratories’s Biothreat Agent Bench Cards for the Sentinel Laboratory (2018) were also used to supplement specific details. In comparison, information regarding infection prevention and control practices in patient-facing healthcare settings was summarized: Public Health Agency of Canada: Routine Practices and Additional Precautions for Preventing the Transmission of Infection in Healthcare Settings (2017) and CDC Infection Control Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings (2007). Contrasting levels of precautions exist between laboratories and patient-facing settings, especially for endemic fungi and certain security-sensitive biological agents. Acknowledging this contrast may facilitate risk communication relative to the counterparts to minimize the threat and disease effects and ensure public confidence.