Animals & Plants

Because of the unique challenges associated with working with live animals or plants in biological research, specific biosafety levels have been developed to describe appropriate work practices for working with vertebrate animals and plants under various containment conditions.

Vertebrate Animal Biosafety Levels

Animal Biosafety Levels (ABSLs) are designated for work involving naturally or experimentally infected vertebrate animals housed in indoor research facilities. Requirements of each ABSL are primarily driven by the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological & Biomedical Laboratories. When working with certain veterinary agents of concern, additional requirements from USDA APHIS may also apply. All work with vertebrate animals must be approved by the UWM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Working with animals presents unique challenges. Animals may generate aerosols, bite, scratch, or be naturally infected with zoonotic agents. ABSLs are applied based on an appropriate risk assessment depending on the specific animals and agents involved. While risk assessments to determine appropriate ABSLs are often driven by human health risks, there may be situations where elevated ABSLs are specified in order to protect animal or environmental health.

Animal Biosafety Level 1 (ABSL-1)

Animal Biosafety Level 1 (ABSL-1) is recommended for vertebrate animal work involving well-characterized experimental agents that are not known to consistently cause disease in immunocompetent adult humans. Examples of agents typically worked with at ABSL-1 include adeno-associated virus (AAV), Flavobacterium spp., and Lactobacillus spp.

Some standard requirements at ABSL-1 include, but are not limited to:

  • Access is limited to only those persons required for experimental, husbandry, or support purposes.
  • An ABSL-1 door sign is posted on all access doors. The door sign includes agent information, contact information for responsible person(s), and any special requirements for entering.
  • Gloves are worn when handling animals and are not worn outside the animal facility. Hands are washed after handling animals and before exiting animal rooms.
  • The animal facility has a handwashing sink, emergency eyewash, and shower readily available.
  • Lab coats, gowns, or uniforms are worn in animal rooms and are not worn outside the animal facility.
  • All interior surfaces are water-resistant. Floors are slip-resistant, impervious to liquids, and resistant to chemicals.
  • Internal facility fixtures are designed to minimize horizontal surface areas that could accumulate debris or fomites.
  • External windows are not recommended and are resistant to breakage if present.

Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2)

Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) is recommended for vertebrate animal work involving agents associated with human disease and that pose a moderate hazard to personnel and the environment. ABSL-2 primarily addresses hazards associated with ingestion, percutaneous exposure, or mucous membrane exposure. Examples of agents typically worked with at ABSL-2 include Staphylococcus aureus, adenovirus, and Borrelia burgdorferi.

Some standard requirements at ABSL-2 include, but are not limited to:

  • All ABSL-1 standard requirements.
  • All persons entering the facility are advised of potential hazards and may be required to meet certain entry requirements (e.g., immunization).
  • An ABSL-2 door sign is posted on all access doors. The door sign includes the universal biohazard symbol, agent information, contact information for responsible person(s), and any special requirements for entering.
  • Animals not involved in ABSL-2 work are not permitted in the ABSL-2 laboratory space.
  • Use of hypodermic needles is restricted to parenteral injections or aspiration of fluids from laboratory animals or diaphragm bottles. Slip-tip syringes are not permitted for use with hypodermic needles.
  • Spills and accidents involving overt exposure or a breach of containment are immediately reported to the UWM Biosafety Officer.
  • Biosafety cabinets or other approved combinations of PPE and physical containment devices are used for all procedures with potential to generate aerosols, such as: centrifuging, grinding, blending, vigorous shaking/mixing, sonication, opening pressurized containers, intranasal inoculation of animals, tissue harvesting, and necropsy.
  • An autoclave is present in the facility for decontaminating contaminated cages and other waste.

Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3)

Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) is recommended for vertebrate animal work involving indigenous or exotic agents, agents that present a potential for aerosol transmission, and agents that cause serious or potentially lethal disease. Examples of agents typically worked with at ABSL-3 include SARS-CoV-2, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Burkholderia pseudomallei.

ABSL-3 facilities have special engineering and design features, including but not limited to double-door entry, inward airflow with visual monitoring, and sealed & sanitizable interior surfaces. At this time, there are no approved ABSL-3 facilities in operation at UWM. Any future ABSL-3 facilities must be commissioned and approved by the UWM Biosafety Program and other relevant regulatory agencies before operation.

Animal Biosafety Level 4 (ABSL-4)

Animal Biosafety Level 4 (ABSL-4) is required for vertebrate animal work involving dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening diseases that are frequently fatal, agents for which there are no vaccines or treatments, or related agents with unknown transmission risk. Examples of agents typically worked with at ABSL-4 include Ebola virus, Herpes B virus, and Lassa virus.

Work with agents required ABSL-4 containment is not permitted at UWM.

Plant Biosafety Levels

The main purpose of plant containment is to avoid unintentional transmission or release of modified plant genomes, modified plant-associated organisms, or other potentially harmful plant pests & plant pathogens. The determination of whether a plant pathogen has potential for serious detrimental impact on managed or natural ecosystems should be made by the PI and the UWM IBC, in consultation with scientists knowledgeable of plant diseases, crops, and local ecosystems as needed.

Research involving plants in benchtop experiments or growth chambers within laboratory facilities can typically follow standard Biosafety Levels for containment. However, when plants are used at larger scale in greenhouse settings, the below Plant Biosafety Levels are implemented. Features of each Plant Biosafety Level can be found in the NIH Guidelines Appendix L. It should also be noted that USDA APHIS permits are frequently needed to work with or transport plant pathogens, soil organisms, or genetically modified plants.

Plant Biosafety Level 1 (BSL1-P)

Plant Biosafety Level 1 (BSL1-P) is recommended for research involving plants for which there is convincing biological evidence that precludes the possibility of survival, transfer, or dissemination of recombinant or infectious materials into the environment, or in which there is no recognizable and predictable risk to the environment in the event of an accidental release.

Plant Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2-P)

Plant Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2-P) is recommended for research involving plants in which there is a recognized possibility of survival, transmission, or dissemination of recombinant or infectious organisms, but the consequence of such an inadvertent release has a predictably minimal biological impact.

Plant Biosafety Levels 3 & 4 (BSL3-P & BSL4-P)

Plant Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3-P) and Plant Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4-P) are intended for research involving plants in which there is a recognized potential for significant detrimental impact on managed or natural ecosystems.