Question: what safety precautions do you have to take when growing dangerous bacteria - how are they dangerous

Adrian Chu answered on 4 Nov 2016:

In my case, my bacteria is classified as Category 2MATOMO_URL I would have to work in a hood (the cupboard-like things with a huge glass panel not unlike a chemical fume cupboard) when handling cultures of a dangerous bacteria. This is to prevent unwanted things from getting into as well as getting out of the hood, i.e. contamination of the cultures as well as letting loose a dangerous bacteria. We also tend to limit the amount of dangerous bacteria we grow. We also tend to dedicate a specific workspace (e.g. a room) and do not carry living bacteria out of it.
We call a bacteria dangerous mostly due to its ability to cause diseases in us humans. Some diseases are deadlier than others, but the bacteria that can cause them have to be studied in the lab if we want to know how better to deal with them.
My bacteria does not easily come into contact with humans. However if we’re not careful and spill cultures outside the hood, the splashed liquid can become aerosols and drift into the air, where it can then infect us.