Biosecurity
Biosecurity refers to measures designed to protect against the entry and spread of harmful organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and pests, in a specific area. This can include protocols for controlling the movement of people, animals, and goods, as well as procedures for managing and containing potential biohazards. The goal of biosecurity is to safeguard the health and safety of living organisms and the environment.
7 Key excerpts on "Biosecurity"
eBook - ePubBiosecurity
Understanding, Assessing, and Preventing the Threat
- Ryan Burnette(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...PART I AN INTRODUCTION TO Biosecurity CHAPTER 1 Defining Biosecurity and Related Concepts Ryan N. Burnette, Jenna E. Hess, Joseph P. Kozlovac, and Jonathan Y. Richmond WHAT IS Biosecurity? Biological security, or “Biosecurity,” is not easy to define and elicits a variety of interpretations. Thus, it is important to clearly define the context in which the term is used. In a broad sense, it is a “strategic and integrated approach, encompass[ing] the policy and regulatory frameworks that analyze and manage risks in the sectors of food safety, animal life and health, and plant life and health, including associated environmental risk.” 1 However, Biosecurity is not limited to policy and regulation, as this book demonstrates. For the purpose of defining Biosecurity, this chapter focuses on elements of laboratory Biosecurity. Laboratory Biosecurity is a [set of] concepts and practices used to secure sensitive biological materials from persons or entities that should not have access. 2 The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to “laboratory Biosecurity … [as the] institutional and personal security measures designed to prevent the loss, theft, misuse, diversion, or intentional release of pathogens and toxins.” 3 Biosecurity is not strictly limited to biological agents or harmful byproducts. It also applies to products having intrinsic value, such as novel vaccines, biological therapeutics, information-technology platforms, synthetic nanoparticles or organisms, and products having high monetary value or related to biological agents. These will be referenced throughout this book as valuable biological material, or VBM. Biosecurity as a field likely originated from its applications in controlling the release of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, into indigenous environmental populations. 4 As with other condensed “bio” terms, the inclusion of the word “Biosecurity” into popular vernacular was firmly established following the attacks of September 11, 2001...
eBook - ePubWorking in Biosafety Level 3 and 4 Laboratories
A Practical Introduction
- Manfred Weidmann, Nigel Silmann, Patrick Butaye, Mandy Elschner, Manfred Weidmann, Nigel Silmann, Patrick Butaye, Mandy Elschner(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
...Chapter 12 Biosecurity Jürgen Mertsching 12.1 Introduction The term Biosecurity has been used with multiple meanings. In the animal industry, the term Biosecurity refers to the protection of an animal colony from microbial contamination. In some countries, it is used in place of the term biosafety. The difficulty of finding distinct definitions for biosafety and Biosecurity begins with the fact that these English terms cannot be adequately translated into other European languages. The two terms would be translated, for example, as Biosicherheit in German or Biosécurité in French. For the purpose of this chapter, the definitions based on the WHO and CWA Laboratory Biorisk Management guidelines [1–3] are used to describe biosafety and Biosecurity as separate concepts with a number of common aspects: Laboratory biosafety describes the containment principles, technologies, and practices that are implemented to prevent the unintentional exposure to biological agents and toxins or their accidental release. Laboratory Biosecurity describes the protection, control of, and accountability for biological agents and toxins within laboratories, in order to prevent their unauthorized access, loss, theft, misuse, diversion, or intentional unauthorized release. Biosafety and Biosecurity components are often integrated into a biorisk management program. The term biorisk, which embraces both concepts, describes the combination of the probability that damage will occur and the potential impact of this damage by a biological agent. To what extent Biosecurity measures are needed depends on the critical biological materials and the kind of work conducted with those materials. At least for the handling of biological material of risk groups 3 and 4 and of organisms and toxins, which are specified in national lists [4–6], Biosecurity procedures should be in place...
eBook - ePub- Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...However, otherwise, concerning on-farm Biosecurity, additional research is required in order to clarify most of the drivers for adoption and compliance with the appropriate measures (Wilke et al., 2012b). Harmful organisms are a potential risk for food value chains in those new zones where they are not still present, due to globalization and associated with people and good movements. Therefore, Biosecurity management must contribute to obtaining safe and nutritious food. Consequently, improving food access by food-aid, and providing help to countries with malnutrition and hunger problems as emergency measures, can contribute to reducing the introduction of biological threats, since some of the major problems of food insecurity are caused by the distribution of contaminated foods that expose the recipient countries to pest and disease risks. As a result, it is proposed that Biosecurity policies and approaches are applied in a global perspective, in order to maximize benefits in the international trade and safeguard border security and food value chains (Sharma and Wightman, 2015). On the other hand, the introduction of alien species to a region may represent an unintentional introduction of potential biological threats that have been proven to be costly and affordable (Murphy and Cheesman, 2006); in addition, increasing food importations pose the risk of transmission of zoonoses and a build-up of disease outbreaks (Gould et al., 2012). Noordhuizen et al. (2013) mentioned the importance of the Biosecurity context, which implies all management measures guided to identify potential public and animal health hazards and the associations themselves, and also risk management measures. For its planning and execution, it is necessary to carry out operations within the four phases of risk analysis that involve an investment to operate all activities in the process of risk management...
eBook - ePubBiosecurity in Animal Production and Veterinary Medicine
From principles to practice
- Jeroen Dewulf, Filip Van Immerseel, Jeroen Dewulf, Filip Van Immerseel(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- CAB International(Publisher)
...CHAPTER 18 Biosecurity IN LABORATORY ANIMAL RESEARCH FACILITIES Patty H. Chen 1 Robin Trundy 2 The development of therapeutic agents and advances in biomedical research would not be possible without the use of animal models. Responsible conduct of animal research starts with an effective animal care and use programme as described in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide) (National Research Council (US), 2011). Although this is an American guidance document, it is a cornerstone resource used by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International), which accredits lab animal programmes that maintain a high level of quality animal care. Animal Biosecurity programme criteria are described in the Guide as a preventive medicine function. The Guide also outlines expectations for an occupational health and safety programme which includes the safe and contained research use of biological agents as well as other research-related hazards. While a broad spectrum of species may be used to support biomedical research, this chapter focuses primarily on ‘traditional’ lab animal models (i.e., rodents) commonly used in academic or pharmaceutical research settings. The first part focuses on animal Biosecurity from the veterinary care perspective. Best practices for assuring that incoming animals are pathogen-free as well as monitoring and hygiene practices used to prevent spread of infections within animal colonies will be discussed. The second part discusses animal Biosecurity as it relates to the introduction of biological agents in animal models, and the principles behind determining and applying biosafety or biocontainment measures to ensure that pathogens are not spread beyond their intended study population. 1 Biosecurity & the lab animal holding facility Disease transmission in laboratory animal facilities can arise from multiple sources...
eBook - ePubFood Safety and Preservation
Modern Biological Approaches to Improving Consumer Health
- Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...Chapter 7 Biocontrol as an Efficient Tool for Food Control and Biosecurity Karen Nathiely Ramírez-Guzmán * ; Cristian Torres-León * ; Eduardo Martínez-Terrazas † ; Reynaldo De la Cruz-Quiroz ‡ ; Adriana C. Flores-Gallegos * ; Raúl Rodríguez-Herrera * ; Cristóbal N. Aguilar * ⁎ Autonomous University of Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico † Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles, Mexico ‡ Monterrey Institute of Technology, Monterrey, Mexico Abstract Currently, the conservation and provision of security in the ecological environment have gained high importance, which it is framed in the term “Biosecurity.” This term integrates the care and maintenance of both flora and fauna and the natural habitats. The preventive measures where Biosecurity must be a guarantee for all forms of life, and therefore the risks and damages caused, should be minimized as far as possible. In any process where biological, physical, or chemical agents are used, there is always a latent risk, so it is extremely important to know the risk factors and find a way of prevention. In recent times, biological threats are one of the challenges that has gained much attention, mainly due to the increased use of biological agents in a number of industrial sectors such as food production, agriculture, production of value-added compounds, etc. Therefore, this chapter will address the importance of standards and rules of biosafety, as well as the different strategies and specific characteristics of control in food production in traditional ways, including relevant information on emerging trends and alternatives of the conservation of these. Keywords Biosecurity; Safety; Biocontrol agents; Food control 7.1 Introduction Nowadays, agriculture has suffered a very considerable economic decrement due to its little production or bust promoted by diverse factors, among the most common being the illnesses and plagues (Galindo et al., 2015)...
eBook - ePub- Farhana Zahir(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Bentham Science Publishers(Publisher)
...Biosecurity issues are preventive measures according to the organism and techniques involved in the study. Biosafety and Biosecurity measures often overlap. Biosafety issues for GMOs include handling, production, storing and transportation. Thus, Cartagena protocol on biosafety to the convention of biodiversity owes to protect biodiversity and human health from any risk emerging from GMO. Biological Expression Systems Biological expression systems are vectors and host cells that fulfill a number of criteria that make them safe to use. All the facilities handling microorganisms and materials containing recombinant DNA molecules have risk assessment program. The risk assessment must consider not only the vector/host system used but also the properties of the DNA to be cloned. It includes nature, modification, function and source of the insert, stability of insert, vector construction, and transfer into host, frequency of mobilization, rate and level of expression, and influence of the recipient organism on the activity of the foreign protein. For example, biological agents such as E. coli, S. cerevesiae, B. subtilis, etc. are well characterized strains of microorganisms known to cause no disease in healthy adults. Thus, most routine genetic engineering experiments can be performed safely on E. coli K12/pUC18 at BSL-1. Mostly, the risk assessment will show that the inserted DNA sequences are unlikely to alter the biological properties of the host organism. However, if they are derived from a pathogenic organism they may alter the biological properties of the host organism. Obviously, not all genes of a pathogenic organism contribute to the virulence of the agent. Therefore, insertion of well-characterized DNA sequences that are unlikely to be involved in pathogenicity may not require additional safety measures. However, in cases where these sequences are not characterized, a higher BSL will be required...
- Kezia Barker, Robert A. Francis, Kezia Barker, Robert A. Francis(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Making global work normal and not a hardship, however, involves the creation and valorisation of mobile subjectivities by discursive and institutional constructions of the ideal professional (Ackers, 2005; Findlay et al., 2013; Cranston, 2016; Cranston, 2017). Contributing tothe circulation of professional practice is therefore a sign of appropriate conduct (Jöns, 2015; Mahroum, 2000).If Biosecurity belongs to this world of ‘global work’, then two things become important. The first is recognising that animal disease is emergent from and produced by a range of human actors, animals, pathogens, materials, technologies and institutions that are held together in a ‘veterinary world of work’ (cf. Becker, 1982). This thinking reflects how assemblage approaches have been used to understand the way different agricultural goods are configured (Jones et al., 2019) and in doing so draws attention to the range of different actors that participate in ‘bringing them into being’ (Pawson and Perkins, 2013). Understanding Biosecurity and animal disease therefore requires attention to what we might call ‘disease ecologies’ in which materials, animals, practices and people come together to make and settle on a specific version of disease (Lavau and Bingham, 2017). Disease ecologies weave together natures (such as pathogens, wildlife and farm animals), materialities (such as protocols and farming infrastructures) and social relations (such as institutions and subjectivities). Like any network, however, they may be vulnerable to disruptions (such as disease outbreaks), promptingcirculations(of disease, people and practices) resulting in a subsequent re-ordering of disease ecologies. In this sense, Biosecurity itself may be seen as ‘global work’, placing geography at the heart of the veterinary profession and understandings of disease...
