Institut für Virologie und Immunologie (Institute of Virology and Immunology)

Of note, ABL3Ag facilities have special features not comparable to standard BSL3 or BSL4 facilities. The shell is considered BSL4, whereas inside the containment area BSL1, BSL2 and BSL3 space is common standard. Personnel enters through a shower barrier and is provided with suitable laboratory clothing for BSL1, 2 and 3 inside the containment area. Personnel has to shower out when leaving the containment area and has to keep a 72h quarantine (no contact to cloven hoofed animals). The IVI fulfills the requirements of the EU Minimum Biorisk Management Standards for Laboratories Working with Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus. Due to these special features of ABL3Ag facilities, the ABL3Ag area is not limited to laboratory units only, but also includes engineering floors such as effluent treatment plant or ventilation units and animal units, which are all located within the containment area. Therefore, all maintenance work has to be done during operation – the facility has never been shut down so far. This also means that a direct comparison with BSL4 facilities is not practicable. Licenses are as follows: “Study of African swine fever immunopathogenesis in domestic pigs“; “Quality controls of immuno-biological products for use in applications of veterinary medicine”; “Establishment of a cell-based rapid test to determine protection provided by vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease virus”; “Peste des petits ruminants virulence“.