The Mauritius Ministry of Health and Welfare now has a level 3 (P3) biosafety laboratory. This laboratory was provided by the IOC’s SEGA – One Health Network, thanks to support from the Agence française de développement and the European Union.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Mohammad Iqbal Issack explains the benefits of this new laboratory.

Can you explain what a P3 laboratory is?

The P3 laboratory is essentially a high-security laboratory, with negative-pressure ventilation to control the direction of airflow.
The main aim is to protect laboratory staff when handling samples that could present them with a potentially high risk.
In particular, it is recommended that samples containing level 3 infectious agents, such as tuberculosis bacteria, are analyzed in a P3 laboratory.
This contains two Type II microbiological safety stations and a double-entry autoclave.

How does someone get in?

Access is via an airlock with doors that cannot be opened simultaneously.
There is also a shower for decontaminating personnel in the event of an accident.

What safety protocols must be followed?

Access to this laboratory is strictly regulated, and requires a magnetic card.
A person never works alone. In fact, there must always be a second person on hand to help, and to call for help in the event of a major accident.
Pressure must also be checked before starting to work inside.
Personnel must wear protective clothing.
All sample handling is carried out in a safety cabinet.
All waste is autoclaved on the inside and removed from the outside.

Do you have a concrete example of the activities you intend to carry out in this P3 laboratory?

Analysis of samples for tuberculosis culture will now be carried out in the P3 laboratory. Until now, culture and sensitivity testing for tuberculosis has only been carried out on solid media. With the P3 laboratory, we can now consider culture and sensitivity testing in liquid media, and therefore with faster results, as elsewhere in the national tuberculosis reference laboratories. Until now, this has not been possible for reasons of staff safety.
The laboratory will also be used for the analysis of other samples which may contain infectious agents and which could pose a risk to staff when handled.