Biosecurity
Certain pathogens, toxins and their genetic materials are controlled under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCSA). Principal investigators who wish to acquire, possess or use any of these agents or materials must notify, and obtain consent from, the College Biosafety Team. Before such consent can be given it will be necessary to ensure that the security measures provided are in compliance with those required under published national security requirements. Consent shall not be provided until the Home Office has been notified and the Counter Terrorism Security Adviser (CTSA) has been informed and the latter has had the opportunity to inspect the facility proposed for this use.
Central to the College’s counter terrorism strategy is the need to protect vulnerable individuals from being radicalised or drawn into terrorism. In accordance with the requirements of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, a protocol has been published by the College for the purpose of detecting and preventing the radicalisation of individuals (published by the College Secretariat). The effective implementation of the protocol will aid the identification of vulnerable individuals and limit the threat posed by such individuals in relation to College’s biological holdings.
Security standards for Schedule 5 pathogens and toxins
The list of pathogens and toxins controlled under the ATCSA is provided within Schedule 5 of the Act. See below for the current list of Schedule 5 pathogens and toxins. Guidance on the interpretation of the list and when material held falls within the scope of the Act is available from the College Biosafety Team as is more information on the security requirements for working with such material.
Schedule 5 pathogens and toxins
Schedule 5 pathogens and Toxins
Viruses affecting humans
Chikungunya virus
Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever virus
Dengue fever virus
Dobrava/Belgrade virus
Eastern equine encephalitis virus
Ebola virus
Everglades virus
Getah virus Guanarito virus
Hantaan virus
Hendra virus (Equine morbillivirus)
Herpes simiae (B virus)
Influenza viruses (pandemic strains)
Japanese encephalitis virus
Junin virus
Kyasanur Forest virus
Lassa fever virus
Louping ill virus
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
Machupo virus
Marburg virus
Mayaro virus
Middleburg virus
Mobala virus
Monkey pox virus
Mucambo virus
Murray Valley encephalitis virus
Ndumu virus
Nipah virus
Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus
Polio virus
Powassan virus
Rabies virus
Rift Valley fever virus
Rocio virus
Sabia virus
Sagiyama virus
SARS Coronavirus
Sin Nombre virus
St Louis encephalitis virus
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (Russian Spring-Summer encephalitis virus)
Variola virus
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
Western equine encephalitis virus
West Nile fever virus
Yellow fever virus
Viruses (affecting animals other than man)
African horse sickness virus
African swine fever virus
Bluetongue virus
Classical swine fever virus
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Foot and mouth disease virus
Goat pox virus
Hendra virus (Equine morbillivirus)
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as defined in Annex I(2) of Council Directive 2005/94/EC
Lumpy skin disease virus
Newcastle disease virus
Peste des petits ruminants virus
Rift Valley fever virus
Rabies and rabies-related Lyssaviruses
Rinderpest virus
Sheep pox virus
Swine vesicular disease virus
Vesicular stomatitis virus
Rickettsiae
Coxiella burnetii
Rickettsia prowazeki
Rickettsia rickettsii
Rickettsia typhi (mooseri)
Bacteria
Bacillus anthracis
Brucella abortus
Brucella canis
Brucella melitensis
Brucella suis
Burkholderia mallei (Pseudomonas mallei)
Burkholderia pseudomallei (Pseudomonas pseudomallei)
Chlamydophila psittaci
Clostridium botulinum
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, serotype 0157 and verotoxin producing strains
Francisella tularensis
Multiple-drug resistant Salmonella paratyphi
Salmonella typhi
Shigella boydii
Shigella dysenteriae
Shigella flexneri
Vibrio cholerae
Yersinia pestis
Toxins
Abrin
Botulinum toxins
Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin
Conotoxin
Modeccin toxin
Ricin
Saxitoxin
Shiga and shiga–like toxins
Staphylococcal enterotoxins
Tetrodotoxin
Viscum Album Lectin 1 (Viscumin)
Volkensin toxin