At present, there are more than 50 biosafety level 4 laboratories built or under construction in the world, covering the five continents of the world, of which only two are located in the African continent, located in South Africa and Gabon. In terms of countries alone, the United States has the most, with 15. In fact, there are not many BSL-4 laboratories that are actually in operation. Here are a few representative laboratories.
Australia P4
The Australian Animal Health Laboratory is located in Geelong, Victoria. It is a world-renowned animal biology research institution capable of conducting basic research on infectious diseases and other complex biological research. The National High-Safety Laboratory under the Victoria Institute of Infectious Diseases in North Melbourne, Victoria mainly conducts virology, microbiology, epidemiology and molecular biology research, focusing on poliovirus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition to a standard BSL-4 laboratory, there are two BSL-3 laboratories.
Canada P4
The National Microbiology Laboratory of Canada is located at the Canadian Human and Animal Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It includes a BSL-4 and multiple BSL-3 and BSL-2 laboratories. The design and construction of its BSL-4 laboratory began in 1982, and after 18 years, it was put into operation in March 2000. Research directions include Ebola virus, Marburg virus and Lhasa fever virus.
French P4
The Jean Mérieux laboratory in Lyon, France is the first BSL-4 laboratory in Europe and the most advanced biosafety laboratory in the world. It was completed and put into operation in March 1999. The laboratory adopts a "box in a box" design with a novel appearance. The outer layer is composed of steel and glass, and the inner layer is a sealed space with negative pressure. The BSL-4 core area covers an area of 1,000 square meters and is divided into three floors: the upper technical area, the lower technical area, the BSL-4 working area and the safe passage area. The BSL-4 working area is composed of two independent laboratories with an area of 60 to 70 square meters and an independent animal laboratory. Mainly engaged in the detection, diagnosis, pathogenic mechanism and vaccine research of virulent viruses. The research mainly includes Ebola virus, Lhasa fever virus, Marburg virus, dengue fever virus and hemorrhagic virus.
Japan P4
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases established the BSL-4 facility in Musashi Murayama, Tokyo in 1981, but it has been operating as a BSL-3 laboratory. In view of the needs of the Ebola epidemic, the facility applied for operation as a BSL-4 laboratory in 2016. In addition, Nagasaki University plans to build a large-scale BSL-4 laboratory around 2020.
South Africa P4
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) of South Africa was established in 1976, and was later transformed into the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NICD) on its basis. In April 2002, a BSL-4 laboratory was built in Johannesburg. It mainly studies the behavior of the HIV virus and the relationship between the virus and the host, as well as Ebola virus, hemorrhagic fever virus, Marburg virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Lhasa fever virus and other respiratory viruses.
American P4
There are four BSL-4 laboratories built in the United States, one of which is located in the United States Army Institute of Infectious Disease Medicine (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. In addition to a 1,000 square meter BSL-4 laboratory, it also has There are 5000 square meters of BSL-3 laboratory, which is engaged in the research of bacterial etiology, virology, diagnosis and medicine. There is also a BSL-4 laboratory attached to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the last two depositories of variola virus in the world. The Rocky Mountain Laboratory, which is part of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Montana, is also building a 700-square-meter BSL-4 laboratory.