The Australia Group: List of biological agents for export control

LIST OF BIOLOGICAL AGENTS FOR EXPORT CONTROL

THE AUSTRALIA GROUP

June 2011

CORE LIST (1)

Viruses

1. Andes virus

2. Chapare virus

3. Chikungunya virus

4. Choclo virus

5. Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever virus

6. Dengue fever virus

7. Dobrava-Belgrade virus

8. Eastern equine encephalitis virus

9. Ebola virus

10. Guanarito virus

11. Hantaan virus

12. Hendra virus (Equine morbillivirus)

13. Japanese encephalitis virus

14. Junin virus

15. Kyasanur Forest virus

16. Laguna Negra virus

17. Lassa fever virus

18. Louping ill virus

19. Lujo virus

20. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus

21. Machupo virus

22. Marburg virus

23. Monkey pox virus

24. Murray Valley encephalitis virus

25. Nipah virus

26. Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus

27. Oropouche virus

28. Powassan virus

29. Rift Valley fever virus

30. Rocio virus

31. Sabia virus

32. Seoul virus

33. Sin nombre virus

34. St Louis encephalitis virus

35. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (Russian Spring-Summer encephalitis virus)

36. Variola virus

37. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

38. Western equine encephalitis virus

39. Yellow fever virus

Bacteria

1. Bacillus anthracis

2. Brucella abortus

3. Brucella melitensis

4. Brucella suis

5. Chlamydophila psittaci (formerly known as Chlamydia psittaci)

6. Clostridium botulinum

7. Francisella tularensis

8. Burkholderia mallei (Pseudomonas mallei)

9. Burkholderia pseudomallei (Pseudomonas pseudomallei)

10. Salmonella typhi

11. Shigella dysenteriae

12. Vibrio cholerae

13. Yersinia pestis

14. Clostridium perfringens, epsilon toxin producing types(2)

15. Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, serotype O157 and other verotoxin producing serotypes

16. Coxiella burnetii

17. Rickettsia prowazekii

Toxins as follow and subunits thereof:(3)

1. Botulinum toxins(4)

2. Clostridium perfringens toxins

3. Conotoxin(4)

4. Ricin

5. Saxitoxin

6. Shiga toxin

7. Staphylococcus aureus toxins

8. Tetrodotoxin

9. Verotoxin and shiga-like ribosome inactivating proteins

10. Microcystin (Cyanginosin)

11. Aflatoxins

12. Abrin

13. Cholera toxin

14. Diacetoxyscirpenol toxin

15. T-2 toxin

16. HT-2 toxin

17. Modeccin toxin

18. Volkensin toxin

19. Viscum Album Lectin 1 (Viscumin)

Fungi

1. Coccidioides immitis

2. Coccidioides posadasii

(1) Biological agents are controlled when they are an isolated live culture of a pathogen agent, or a preparation of a toxin agent which has been isolated or extracted from any source, or material including living material which has been deliberately inoculated or contaminated with the agent. Isolated live cultures of a pathogen agent include live cultures in dormant form or in dried preparations, whether the agent is natural, enhanced or modified.

An agent is covered by this list except when it is in the form of a vaccine. A vaccine is a medicinal product in a pharmaceutical formulation licensed by, or having marketing or clinical trial authorisation from, the regulatory authorities of either the country of manufacture or of use, which is intended to stimulate a protective immunological response in humans or animals in order to prevent disease in those to whom or to which it is administered.

(2) It is understood that limiting this control to epsilon toxin-producing strains of Clostridium perfringens therefore exempts from control the transfer of other Clostridium perfringens strains to be used as positive control cultures for food testing and quality control.

(3) Excluding immunotoxins.

(4) Excluding botulinum toxins and conotoxins in product form meeting all of the following criteria:

are pharmaceutical formulations designed for testing and human dministration in the treatment of medical conditions;
are pre-packaged for distribution as clinical or medical products;
are authorised by a state authority to be marketed as clinical or medical products.

Genetic Elements and Genetically-modified Organisms:

1. Genetic elements that contain nucleic acid sequences associated with the pathogenicity of any of the microorganisms in the list.

2. Genetic elements that contain nucleic acid sequences coding for any of the toxins in the list, or for their sub-units.

3. Genetically-modified organisms that contain nucleic acid sequences associated with the pathogenicity of any of the microorganisms in the list.

4. Genetically-modified organisms that contain nucleic acid sequences coding for any of the toxins in the list or for their sub-units.

Technical note:

Genetically-modified organisms includes organisms in which the genetic material (nucleic acid sequences) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination, and encompasses those produced artificially in whole or in part.

Genetic elements include inter alia chromosomes, genomes, plasmids, transposons, and vectors whether genetically modified or unmodified, or chemically synthesized in whole or in part.

Nucleic acid sequences associated with the pathogenicity of any of the micro-organisms in the list means any sequence specific to the relevant listed micro-organism:

that in itself or through its transcribed or translated products represents a significant hazard to human, animal or plant health; or
that is known to enhance the ability of a listed micro-organism, or any other organism into which it may be inserted or otherwise integrated, to cause serious harm to human, animal or plant health.

These controls do not apply to nucleic acid sequences associated with the pathogenicity of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, serotype O157 and other verotoxin producing strains, other than those coding for the verotoxin, or for its sub-units.

WARNING LIST(1)

Bacteria

1. Clostridium tetani*

2. Legionella pneumophila

3. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

* Australia Group recognises that this organism is ubiquitous, but, as it has been acquired in the past as part of biological warfare programs, it is worthy of special caution.