Laboratory biosafety measures in receiving, preparation and processing of pathology specimens in suspected and positive coronavirus infection

Authors

  • Anuradha Sekaran Department of Pathology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  • Niharika R. Yandapally Department of Pathology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  • Veena P. Vanere Department of Pathology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20203479

Keywords:

COVID-19, Laboratory guidelines, Laboratory tests, Pathology specimens, Safety precautions

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus which is declared as a pandemic by the WHO on March 2020 has made a huge difference in the practice and daily activities of the laboratory services. There are high chances of receiving potentially infectious samples to the laboratory for various tests. Authors propose a few biosafety measures in the preparation and processing of various pathology specimens received to the lab during this pandemic time in correlation with guidelines given by WHO. These safety measures aim at protecting and safe guarding the laboratory staff, trainees, and pathologists by minimizing the exposure to COVID-19.

References

Perlman S. Another decade, another coronavirus. The New England J Med. 2020 Feb 20;382:760-2.

World Health Organization. Infection prevention and control during health care when novel coronavirus (‎‎‎n CoV)‎‎‎ infection is suspected: interim guidance, January 2020.

National Cancer Grid External Quality Assurance Program (NCG EQAP), guide for handling specimens in a Histopathology laboratory in COVID-19. NCGEQAS, Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.

World Health Organization. Laboratory testing for coronavirus disease (‎COVID-19)‎ in suspected human cases: interim guidance, 2020. World Health Organization; 2020.

Recommendations from RC Path and professional bodies (IBMS, ACP and ACB). prioritisation/ deferral of pathology laboratory work (in light of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) epidemic) version 1.1. Available at: https://www.rcpath.org/uploads/assets/f5123842-950f-49c5-bf69ed866a7ca3da/Prioritisation-deferral-of-pathology-laboratory-work.pdf. Accessed 26 March 2020.

Srinivasan R, Gupta P, Rekhi B, Deb P, Nijhawan VS, Prasoon D, et al . Indian academy of cytologists national guidelines for cytopathology laboratories for handling suspected and positive COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) patient samples. J Cytol 2020;37:67-71.

CDC guidelines. Collection and Submission of Postmortem Specimens from Deceased Persons with Known or Suspected COVID-19. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-postmortem-specimens.html. Accessed 4 June 2020.

Downloads

Published

2020-07-24

How to Cite

Sekaran, A., Yandapally, N. R., & Vanere, V. P. (2020). Laboratory biosafety measures in receiving, preparation and processing of pathology specimens in suspected and positive coronavirus infection. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 8(8), 3129–3134. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20203479

Issue

Section

Review Articles