The U.S. government has created several, overlapping, lists of viruses, bacteria, toxins, and diseases that could threaten the health and safety of the public, animals, and plants. Although the contents of the different lists are similar, the purpose of the three lists, described below, vary.

The viruses, bacteria, and toxins on the Select Agents List are federally restricted through regulation of their possession, use, and transfer. Two agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which protect and promote the health of humans and animals and plants, spearhead the Select Agent Program for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), respectively. The agencies ensure that restrictions, such as registration with the CDC or APHIS of entities possessing the agents and completion of a Federal Bureau of Investigation security risk assessment form, are in place. They also determine what is categorized as a select agent by using the following criteria:

• The effect that exposure to the agent or toxin has on human, animal, or plant health, or on animal or plant products;
• How the agent or toxin transfers to humans, animals, or plants and how contagious, virulent, and toxic it is;
• The effectiveness and supply of treatments and vaccines for any resulting disease; and
• Any other criteria deemed critical such as susceptibility of specific age groups.

The CDC has another list, its Bioterrorism Diseases/Agents List, which is not associated with any Congressional mandate or federal regulations. It simply groups diseases, viruses, bacteria, and toxins that target humans into three different categories: A, B, and C. Category A agents present a great threat to public health and national security and:

• Have high rates of transmission and/or fatalities;
• Can have a great impact on public health since few health professionals have experience with the agents; and
• Can potentially cause social disruption or a panicked public response.

• Spread with moderate ease;
• Cause moderate rates of disease with low death rates; and
• Necessitate specific lab capabilites and disease monitoring by the CDC.

• Availability;
• Easy production and spreading; and
• Potentially high infection and/or death rates.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is responsible for the Category A, B, and C Priority Pathogens List, a third lists of viruses, bacteria, and toxins. Although its categorical structure is modeled after the CDC's Bioterrorism Diseases/Agents List, its purpose is to prioritize the Institute's biodefense research and funding on specific viruses, bacteria, and toxins.

• Possession, Use, and Transfer of Select Agents and Toxins-Reconstructed Replication Competent Forms of the 1918 Pandemic Influenza Virus Containing Any Portion of the Coding Regions of All Eight Gene Segments, October 2005
• Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002; Possession, Use, and Transfer of Biological Agents and Toxins, March 2005
• Possession, Use, and Transfer of Select Agents and Toxins, March 2005

APHIS-CDC Select Agent Security Documents

• Select Agent Security Plan Template, revised June 2007
• Select Agent Security Information Document, revised June 2007
• Incident Response Checklist, revised June 2007
• Records Checklist, revised June 2007
• Security Checklist, revised June 2007
• Training Checklist, revised June 2007

Related Reports

• NIAID Strategic Plan for Biodefense Research, 2007 Update
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for CDC Catagory A Agents, Overview of Progress Report, 2006
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for CDC Catagory A Agents, Progress Report, 2006
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for Category B and C Prioirty Pathogens, Progress Report, June 2004
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for CDC Category A Agents, Progress Report, August 2003
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for CDC Category B and C Priority Pathogens, January 2003
• NIAID Biodefense Research Agenda for CDC Category A Agents, February 2002
• NIAID Strategic Plan for Biodefense Research, February 2002

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agricultural Select Agent Program
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Select Agent Program
• National Select Agent Registry