’World Leading’ Laboratory in Standard Containers

Only a few people know that Hungary is famous all over the world not just for the country’s scientists and their inventions, but – for example – because we own a mobile biological laboratory which is one of the best in its kind. And this facility supports the anti-bioterrorism activities of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and in a broader sense that of NATO.

The Medical Training Base of HDF ’Dr. György Radó’ Honvéd Medical Centre (HEK/HMC) hides in a wooded area, a few minutes’ from Budapest Ferihegy Airport. Airplanes take off or land nearly every minute, almost touching the treetops around the centre. At the moment the laboratory – the official name of which is HDF Mobile Biological Laboratory Complex – can be found here.

One hardly believes that the 5 standard 20-feet containers placed side by side carry one of the best biological laboratories in the world, which can be installed anywhere. And indeed, the containters hold ’that’ – confirms Brigadier General Dr. (MD) András Németh, commander of HMC. I also learn from the general that within the structure of HDF, the laboratory belongs to the public health institute that is a part of HEK’s preventive directorate. This decision was made last year when military healthcare was reorganized and the former Honvéd Hospital and 8 other hospitals and institutes which had been managed by various ministries were merged into HDF State Health Centre (HM ÁEK/HDF SHC), and HDF ’Dr. György Radó’ Honvéd Medical Centre was established by the merger of 4 military health institutes which had been operating independently earlier.

The Hungarian Defence Forces have had a biological laboratory for decades. The laboratories patterned on Russian design had operated well but are outdated now, as I learn from Lieutenant Colonel Dr. (MD) Katalin Meglécz, Head Phyisician and Managing Director of the public healthcare centre. For example this type of laboratory worked in 1999 in Albania within the scope of the AFOR mission following the accession of Hungary to NATO. There were 34 Hungarian troops serving for months in the team that performs public healthcare, epidemiologic, analytical and reconnaissance tasks related to refugees, and in the laboratory which belongs to the team – Dr. Meglécz was one of them. This is quite relevant since this healthcare-related assignment, which took several months, was the first NATO mission of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

After Albania, the Hungarian laboratory was deployed in Pristina, Kosovo in 2001. The preventive medical laboratory is still operational at the KFOR headquarters, and it is the peacekeeping forces’ main laboratory in charge of public healthcare in Kosovo. At present there are 10 Hungarian experts – medical doctors and assistants – working at the Kosovo facility.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. (MD) Katalin Meglécz also said that the foundations of the mobile biological laboratory of today were laid following the 2002 NATO summit held in Prague. The Prague initiatives have set 5 main directions for the fight against biological weapons and bioterrorism. One of them was the development of diagnostic capabilities, and along with other member states, Hungary has undertaken this assignment, relying on the achievements of laboratories deployed in missions and the output of scientific research carried out by the armed forces. The first version of the new laboratory was completed and set up in 2004, and – in line with our commitment – its primary task of public healthcare was replaced by protection against biological weapons. The brand new construction was immediately assigned a live task by NATO: since a possible biological terrorist attack against the Athens Olympic Games was a serious concern, the alliance offered to deploy the Hungarian laboratory – which had been scheduled to work with the third rotation of NATO Response Forces (NRF) – in the Greek capital. Hungarian experts of microbiology (who are soldiers at the same time, naturally) were in standby for 60 days, but fortunately they didn’t have to prove their expertise.

Dr. Meglécz also confided to me that the laboratory which had been to Athens was a different version than the one consisting of container units and seen by us – its structure was based on tents. This meant that soldiers had to transport the equipment in boxes and cases together with the tents. Of course, the older version of the laboratory was capable of fulfilling various diagnostic tasks, too (the mobile biological laboratory of the US Army for instance still operates under these ’conditions’), nevertheless, the command of the Hungarian Defence Forces decided to upgrade the capabilities of the laboratory to a higher diagnostic and security level. In this period the crew moved the equipment from the older laboratory variant to containers. This version was completed in 2006.

Today the Hungarian lab is capable of detecting 52 potential biological warfare agents, and 10 toxins – informs us Major Dr. (MD) Tamás Bognár, the commander of the complex. When he sees the expression on my face he quickly adds: ’agent’ means microorganisms that can be used as biological weapons, and ’toxin’ means poisonous substances produced by certain bacteria. These numbers do not tell too much to a lay person, but the explanation made it clear to us that NATO standards for MBLs specify only a fragment of this. Due to these achievements the Hungarian laboratory is the number one facility in the world and this glory is not faded in any way by the fact that experts working in permanent labs built for the same purpose are capable of detecting a higher number of biological pathogens, even the most dangerous ones.

By the way the deployability of the Hungarian laboratory is excellent. Since it consists of standard containers, it is simple to transport it by road, rail, waterway or air alike. Following the arrival of the complex at the designated location it can receive the first test samples in 3 hours’ time. In 6 hours the experts of the lab can start the analysis of the samples. The total number of these professionals, including the commander, is 16. In the service unit in charge of deployment/installation and operations there are 7 troops, and the professional staff is made up of 5 officers and 3 non-commissioned officers serving as assistants. All the officers are qualified biologists and/or molecular biologists.

The laboratory is capable of operating for 30 consecutive days with full crew. In two 6-hour examination cycles per day they process 20 samples daily. As Dr. Tamás Bognár says this capacity meets the standard NATO requirements.

The commander also confides to me that the mobile biological laboratory complex consists of two separate laboratory modules. One of them is the so-called BSL-3 level laboratory. The abbreviation is a short form of the English phrase Bio Safety Level. In this case it means the third level of biological safety. Experts in microbiology distinguish four levels of threat on the basis of how dangerous the specific pathogens are. There aren’t any level 4 mobile laboratories in the world because pathogens of this category (e.g. anthrax, ebola, cholera, plague) can be examined in permanent laboratories only. At least if these pathogens are alive. Provided the dangerous virus or bacterium arrives in ’killed’ form – meaning it is inactivated with chemicals and unable to reproduce itself –, the regulations allow its examination in a MBL.

Inside this module negative (i.e. lower than atmospheric) pressure guarantees that pathogens cannot escape into open air or other areas of the lab. Similarly to what we saw in the movie Outbreak, as I have noted before, the crew working in this module wear pressurized, hermetic chemical suits which are equipped with a built-in air supply system.

The other branch of the complex is the so-called PCR unit. Here pathogens are identified applying a fast diagnostic (PCR, polymerase chain reaction) method which is based on genetics. Only killed pathogens are allowed in this unit; samples are prepared in the BSL-3 level laboratory. An interesting technological feature that there must be positive (i.e. higher than atmospheric) pressure in the sterile PCR unit in order to protect the sample prepared for analysis from any kind of pollution with substances from the external environment.

The third major structural component of the lab is the command point where the internal communications and camera network of the lab is operated, ensuring continuous contact between experts working in the units and the staff in charge of operations. The troops assigned to the command point monitor the broadcast of the external surveillance network cameras, and control the electronic access system. Both technical systems must be installed to meet international requirements, and to prevent the access of unauthorized persons, with regard to high biological risks. Each member of the operational crew is trained in rescue tasks so that in case it is necessary they can evacuate those who got in trouble.

Following the briefing on capabilities, Dr. Meglécz also tells me that the recently developed container version of the laboratory has also participated in ’live deployment’. Since the facility was qualified ’excellent’ in NRF 7th qualifying exercise Golden Mask, Hungarian troops were requested to take part in the security operations of the 2006 NATO summit held in Riga. Fortunately they had nothing to do again. But this year there is another task waiting for them: they can demonstrate their capabilities in exercise Mission Direction 2008. And next spring they will participate in an international NATO exercise that will be the 13th international qualifying exercise of NRF, due in July 2009.

Naturally, the experts want to improve the laboratory further. This is the reason why the crew must complete a troop exercise with the current prototype at the medical training base, since funding military equipment development is allowed only if the device in question was deployed in a troop exercise, and operates as a part of the system.