Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2014 Jun 30;9(6):e101163.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101163. eCollection 2014.

Comparison and analysis of biological agent category lists based on biosafety and biodefense

Deqiao Tian  1 , Tao Zheng  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison and analysis of biological agent category lists based on biosafety and biodefense

Deqiao Tian et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Biological agents pose a serious threat to human health, economic development, social stability and even national security. The classification of biological agents is a basic requirement for both biosafety and biodefense. We compared and analyzed the Biological Agent Laboratory Biosafety Category list and the defining criteria according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the European Union (EU) and China. We also compared and analyzed the Biological Agent Biodefense Category list and the defining criteria according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States, the EU and Russia. The results show some inconsistencies among or between the two types of category lists and criteria. We suggest that the classification of biological agents based on laboratory biosafety should reduce the number of inconsistencies and contradictions. Developing countries should also produce lists of biological agents to direct their development of biodefense capabilities.To develop a suitable biological agent list should also strengthen international collaboration and cooperation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. Gaudioso J, Salerno RM (2004) Biosecurity and Research: Minimizing adverse impacts. Science 304(5671): 687. - PubMed
    1. HHS and USDA select agents and toxins. Available: http://www.selectagents.gov. Accessed 15 October 2013.
    1. List of human and animal pathogens and toxins for export control. Available: http://www.australiagroup.net/en/human_animal_pathogens.html. Accessed 15 October 2013.
    1. World Health Organization. Laboratory biosafety manual (Third edition, 2004) Available: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/biosafety/Biosafety7.pdf. Accessed 25 December 2011.
    1. NIH Guidelines For Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (October 2011 Revised Edition) Available: http://oba.od.nih.gov/rdna/nih_guidelines_oba.html. Accessed 25 December 2011.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources