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Characteristics
Morphology Cultures of E. spinifera form mucoid, yeast-like, black colonies initially, and develop tufts of mycelium (long, brown, septate, and annellophores), finally become suede-like to downy in texture.
Disease

E. spinifera may cause cutaneous and subcutaneous invasive infections, especially in immunocompromised and debilitated individuals.
Zoonosis

Unknown.
Health Hazards
Host Range Humans, decaying wood, plants, water, and soil enriched with organic wastes, and animals.
Modes of Transmission
Unknown. Contact with fungus with a skin injury.
Signs and Symptoms 

Cutaneous lesions, including erythematous papules, verrucous plaques, and deep subcutaneous abscesses. Mycetoma, phaeohyphomycosis or chromoblastomycosis are the main clinical symptoms caused by E. spinifera.
Infectious Dose Unknown.
Incubation Period  Unknown.
Medical Precautions/Treatment
Prophylaxis
None available.
Vaccines
None available.
Treatment Itraconazole, isavuconazole, and amphotericin B
Surveillance
Monitor for symptoms. 
MSU Requirements
Report any exposures.
Laboratory Hazards
Laboratory Acquired Infections (LAIs)
None have been reported.
 Sources
Cultures, frozen stocks, other samples described in IBC protocol.
Supplemental References
BMBL
 https://www.cdc.gov/labs/bmbl/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/labs/BMBL.html
NIH Guidelines
https://osp.od.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/NIH_Guidelines.pdf
CDC
 https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/features/fungal-infections.html
Risk Group & Containment Requirements
Risk Group 2

Agents that are associated with human disease which is rarely serious and for which preventive or therapeutic interventions are often available.
BSL2
For all procedures involving suspected or known infectious specimen or cultures.
ABSL2
For all procedures utilizing infected animals infected.
Spill Procedures
Small
Notify others working in the lab. Remove PPE and don new PPE. Cover area of the spill with absorbent material and add fresh 1:10 bleach:water. Allow 20 munutes (or as directed) of contact time. After 20 minutes, cleanup and dispose of materials.
Large
  • Immediately notify all personnel in the lab and clear all personnel from the area. Remove any contaminated PPE/clothing and leave the lab. 
  • Secure the area by locking doors, posting signage and guarding the area to keep people out of the space. 
For assistance, contact MSU's Biosafety Officer (406-994-6733) or Safety and Risk Management (406-994-2711).
Exposure Procedures
Mucous membrane
Flush eyes, mouth, or nose for 5 minutes at eyewash station.
Other Exposures
Wash area with soap and water for 5 minutes.
Reporting
Immediately report incident to supervisor, complete a First Report of Injury form, and submit to Safety and Risk Management.
Medical Follow-up
During business hours: Bridger Occupational Health 3406 Laramie Drive. Weekdays 8am -6pm.  Weekends 9am-5pm
After business hours: Bozeman Deaconess Hospital Emergency Room 915 Highland Blvd Bozeman, MT
Viability
Disinfection
Susceptible to 1:10 bleach:water plus cleaning of killed spores, 70 % ethanol
Inactivation
Inactivated by moist heat (15 minutes at 121oC) and dry heat (1 hour at 160-170oC).
Survival Outside Host
Unknown.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Minimum PPE Requirements
Lab coat, disposable gloves, safety glasses, closed toed shoes, long pants
Additional Precautions
 Additioanl PPE may be required depending on lab specific SOPs and IBC Protocol.