Work with moderate risk agents that are associated with human diseases of varying severity should be performed at what ABSL level?

• A. ABSL 1
• B. ABSL 2
• C. ABSL 3
• D. ABSL 4

Answer: (B)

The main concept is that the level of animal biosafety containment (ABSL) is matched to how risky the agents are to humans. Moderate-risk agents that can cause human disease of varying severity require ABSL-2. This level provides more containment and practices than ABSL-1 because the organisms can cause illness in people, but it does not demand the highest levels of containment used for the most dangerous pathogens. So, ABSL-2 includes restricted access, appropriate PPE, standard and some enhanced practices, and the use of biosafety cabinets for procedures that could generate aerosols, with waste and incident procedures in place. It sits below ABSL-3 and ABSL-4, which are reserved for serious or life-threatening diseases with higher risks and require more stringent containment measures such as negative-pressure environments and more protective equipment.