Laboratory-Acquired Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 350; no. 17; pp. 1740 - 1745
• Main Authors: Lim, Poh Lian, Kurup, Asok, Gopalakrishna, Gowri, Chan, Kwai Peng, Wong, Christopher W, Ng, Lee Ching, Se-Thoe, Su Yun, Oon, Lynette, Bai, Xinlai, Stanton, Lawrence W, Ruan, Yijun, Miller, Lance D, Vega, Vinsensius B, James, Lyn, Ooi, Peng Lim, Kai, Chew Suok, Olsen, Sonja J, Ang, Brenda, Leo, Yee-Sin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 22.04.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical Research; DNA, Viral - analysis; Epidemics; General aspects; Genome, Viral; Genomics; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Laboratories; Male; Medical Laboratory Personnel; Medical sciences; Occupational Diseases - diagnosis; Occupational Diseases - virology; Phylogeny; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; SARS Virus - genetics; SARS Virus - isolation & purification; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - diagnosis; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - transmission; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - virology; Singapore; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases; Viruses; Singapore; Infection; Medicine; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Acquired; Viral disease; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Laboratory
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa032565

This report describes a graduate student in microbiology in Singapore in whom fever and respiratory symptoms led to the diagnosis of infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus in September 2003. The student had worked with a vial of West Nile virus, but an epidemiologic investigation found SARS virus contaminating the vial. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore ended in late May 2003. 1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed its travel alerts for Toronto, Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan shortly thereafter. 2 We report the first case of SARS to occur in Singapore after the initial worldwide outbreak ended. Our report documents the transmission of SARS in a laboratory setting. Case Report A 27-year-old graduate student in microbiology at a local university was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on September 3, 2003, with fever. In July and August 2003, he had worked with a nonattenuated strain . . .