2006
Taronna Maines, Greg Knobloch
This photograph was taken of Dr. Taronna Maines, a microbiologist in the Influenza Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while she was conducting an experiment inside a biological safety cabinet (BSC) within the Biosafety Level 3-enhanced laboratory. The airflow within the BSC helps prevent any airborne virus from escaping the confines of the cabinet, and as part of her personal protective equipment; she was wearing a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), which was filtering the air that she was breathing.
Dr. Maines was inoculating a 10-day old emryonated hens eggs with nasal secretions from a ferret that had been infected with an H5N1 avian influenza virus, in order to determine the amount of virus shed by the ferret. This experiment was part of a study to investigate the pathogenicity, and transmissibility of newly emerging H5N1 viruses. Identification of genetic markers affecting the ability of H5N1 viruses to transmit in a mammalian model will help in the early identification of emerging H5N1 viruses with pandemic potential. Information gained from this study is important for pandemic preparedness.
