San Diego lab technician accidentally infects herself with genetically modified smallpox

An employee at a laboratory in San Diego accidentally introduced a genetically modified strain of smallpox virus.

Фото: Depositphotos

“A 26-year-old laboratory assistant accidentally became infected with a smallpox-related virus during an experiment at work,” writes Yahoo. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the woman’s finger was swollen and reddened, but in the end she recovered safely.

A San Diego resident began working with the vaccinia virus, which is associated with smallpox, in a laboratory in September 2018. The vaccinia virus is used to make smallpox vaccines.

The employee was offered to vaccinate against the virus before starting work, but she refused, fearing side effects.

Smallpox vaccines contain live virus and can often lead to a lesion at the site of the vaccine, which usually heals.

“Although the patient declined vaccination when it was initially offered, during this investigation she reported that she did not appreciate the severity of the infection that might develop,” the CDC said.

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In December 2018, this employee accidentally pricked her index finger with a needle when she tried to introduce the virus into the tail of an experimental mouse for an experiment.

“The employee immediately rinsed her finger with water for 15 minutes [and] notified her supervisor,” the CDC said.

The woman was taken to the hospital, but could not remember which strain of the virus she used.

“The patient was working with multiple groups of mice with different strains and did not remember which strain she was using when the needlestick injury occurred,” the CDC said.

Researchers studying this case eventually found that one of the two genetically modified vaccinia strains was most likely used.

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10 days after the incident, the woman’s finger swelled, a black spot appeared on it. On 12 day, her temperature rose 38 C. Doctors began to worry about her condition and began to treat her with a special modern medicine for smallpox. After 48 hours, recovery began.

The employee was banned from working in the laboratory for approximately 4 months due to the risk of infection of other people. The areas of dead tissue on her fingers did not heal for 3 months.

The CDC recommends people working with these viruses get vaccinated against smallpox.

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