Question

You are working in a laboratory with a Class II biological safety cabinet.

Which of these is the highest risk microbe you could work with?

a.)Ebola virus

b.)Nonpathogenic E. coli

c.)Marburg virus

d.)Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Answer 1

In a Class II biological safety cabinet, the highest risk microbe that can be safely worked with is the Ebola virus (option a). Class II biological safety cabinets provide containment and protection for working with microorganisms that pose a moderate to high risk to human health, such as viruses like Ebola. Nonpathogenic E. coli (option b) is considered a lower-risk microbe and can be handled in a less stringent containment setup. Marburg virus (option c) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (option d) are also high-risk microorganisms, but they would typically require a higher level of containment, such as a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory, due to their potential for causing severe diseases and their modes of transmission.