Sabia Virus Incident at Yale University

An incident involving a human exposure to a newly isolated arenavirus, Sabia virus, in the Yale Arbovirus Research Unit occurred at Yale University on August 8, 1994. A senior-level visiting research scientist was exposed to Sabia virus while purifying the virus from a large volume of tissue culture fluid. The exposure resulted in development of a Sabia virus infection followed by recovery of the patient. The incident resulted in a comprehensive review by a Yale faculty committee and an external expert committee. As a result, a number of new practices and procedures were added to Yale's biosafety policy for investigating infectious agents in BL-3 facilities.