Polio remains endemic in two countries resulting in outbreaks around the world. The U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (NAC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a surveillance program aimed to minimize the risk of poliovirus release from research and diagnostic laboratories. As part of this program, the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) will screen materials through the registration process to identify if they contain or may contain poliovirus according to the criteria established in the WHO Global Action Plan (GAPIV) .
The first phase of this program was to determine if the university had materials that would be considered poliovirus potentially infectious materials (PPIM). This includes samples collected for non-polio-related work during a time and in a place where wild poliovirus (WPV) or vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) was circulating, or where oral polio vaccine (OPV) was in use. The list of PPIMs is further described but not limited to the CDC definitions of infectious materials. Domestic and international specimens may fall into these categories.
The Division of Research Safety (DRS) distributed a campus survey to ask faculty and staff who work in research and diagnostic laboratories if PPIM was present in their labs. In 2023, DRS communicated the results to the NAC, and confirmed that the Urbana Champaign campus did not have material that harbored PPIM.
The second phase of this program involves screening incoming samples/materials for PPIM. The IBC has added screening questions to the registration process to identify material that contains or may contain poliovirus to ensure compliance with the requirements established in the GAPIV, as adapted for the WHO Region of the Americas. Per GAPIV, each country must complete and maintain a national inventory of any poliovirus-containing materials.
The IBC requires that all principal investigators (PIs) or responsible persons must receive IBC approval to work with pathogens, human materials, non-human primate materials, biotoxins, prions, recombinant/transgenic or synthetic materials, and environmental/field samples. The following materials are considered potential sources of poliovirus and will be screened for PPIM through the registration process:
Email ibc@illinois.edu with any questions about the IBC project registration process.
If a researcher identifies PPIM, the NAC requires that the Biological Safety Officer (BSO) maintains an institutional inventory and disposal plan. Linda Arseneau is the BSO for the Urbana Champaign campus and the CDC’s designated contact. The inventory and disposal or transfer plan will be documented in the IBC registration.
Principal Investigator Responsibilities
PIs or responsible persons must report the discovery or acquisition of any poliovirus-containing materials to the BSO at ibc@illinois.edu. The materials and disposal plan that describes the destruction and/or transfer of any poliovirus materials must be included in an approved IBC project supporting the laboratory’s research.
Biological Safety Officer Responsibilities
The BSO will gather information about the materials that will be used in your laboratory to update our institutional poliovirus inventory with the NAC at the CDC. Any changes to the poliovirus inventory must be reported to the NAC within 72 hours after notification and verification.
Q. How do I determine if my samples may contain poliovirus based on the time and place where samples were collected?
A. To determine whether you possess materials that could contain poliovirus, please see the CDC website for definitions and examples. The World Health Organization provides an online PIM identification tool or the WHO Country and Territory-Specific Poliovirus Case Data. If you need further assistance, please contact ibc@illinois.edu.
Q. What should I do if I suspect I have PPIM in my laboratory?
A. Contact the Division of Research Safety at ibc@illinois.edu and identify the suspected materials (type, quantity of samples, other attributes), the origin of the materials, and the PI or responsible person supervising the possession and use of the materials. The information will be updated in the institutional poliovirus inventory with the NAC at the CDC.
Q. Am I allowed to conduct experiments with PPIM?
A. Yes. The IBC, in agreement with NAC, requests that laboratories destroy any PPIM at the conclusion of experiments. PPIM necessary for research may be kept but must be reported to the BSO, registered, and approved in an IBC project. A minimum of BL-2 practices must be used while manipulating PPIM.
Q. My research is not interested in poliovirus and does not involve poliovirus cultures. What is my obligation in support of the poliovirus containment initiative?
A. The poliovirus containment initiative is not restricted to laboratories that study poliovirus. Many materials may be PPIM in your laboratory, including wastewater samples, environmental water samples, primary human fluids and tissues, fecal samples, respiratory or enteric viral isolates from humans, and human/non-human primate cell lines. All PIs and responsible persons must receive IBC approval to work with these materials. The list of PPIMs is further described but not limited to the CDC definitions of infectious materials.