List of biosafety level 4 organisms

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Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) organisms are dangerous or exotic agents which pose high risk of life-threatening disease, aerosol-transmitted lab infections, or related agents with unknown risk of transmission.^{[citation needed]}

Biosafety level 4 laboratories are designed for diagnostic work and research on easily respiratory-acquired viruses which can often cause severe and/or fatal disease. What follows is a list of select agents that have specific biocontainment requirements according to US federal law. Organisms include those harmful to human health, or to animal health.^[1] The Plant Protection and Quarantine programs (PPQ) of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are listed in 7 CFR Part 331. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists are located at 42 CFR Part 73.3^[2] and 42 CFR Part 73.4.^[3] The USDA animal safety list is located at 9 CFR Subchapter B.^[4]

Not all select agents require BSL-4 handling, namely select bacteria and toxins, but most select agent viruses do (with the notable exception of SARS-CoV-1 which can be handled in BSL3). Many non-select agent viruses are often handled in BSL-4 according to facility SOPs or when dealing with new viruses closely related to viruses that require BSL-4. For instance, Andes orthohantavirus and MERS-CoV are both non-select agents that are often handled in BSL-4 because they cause severe and fatal disease in humans. Newly characterized viruses closely related to select agents and/or BSL-4 viruses (for example newly discovered henipaviruses or ebolaviruses) are typically handled in BSL-4 even if they aren't yet known to be readily transmissible or cause severe disease.^{[citation needed]}

Globally, there are no official agreements on what agents must be handled in BSL-4. However, select agents and toxins originating or ending in US BSL-4 labs must adhere to US select agent laws.^{[citation needed]}

• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus
• Ebolavirus
• Lassa mammarenavirus
• Lujo mammarenavirus
• Marburg virus
• Reconstructed 1918 influenza virus
• Chapare mammarenavirus
• Guanarito mammarenavirus
• Argentinian mammarenavirus (formerly Junín virus)
• Machupo mammarenavirus
• Brazilian mammarenavirus (formerly Sabiá mammarenavirus)
• Far Eastern subtype Flavivirus
• Siberian subtype Flavivirus
• Kyasanur Forest disease virus
• Alkhurma virus
• Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus
• Variola major and minor (smallpox)

• Hendra henipavirus
• Nipah henipavirus
• Rift Valley fever phlebovirus
• Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

• Andes orthohantavirus