Table 2.
BSA Dataset Field Descriptions.
| Field | Applies To | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NCBI tax id |
⊠ Bacteria □ Virus |
A stable, unique numerical identifier that corresponds to a bacteria node in the taxonomic tree. |
| Virus GENBANK accession |
□ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
A unique, stable alphanumeric identifier assigned to a viral GenBank sequence record. |
| Kingdom |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Bacteria (“B”) or Virus (“V”). |
| Bacterial Classification |
⊠ Bacteria □ Virus |
Gram-positive (“G+”), Gram-negative (“G-”) or Acid Fast (“AF”). |
| Spore |
⊠ Bacteria □ Virus |
Spore forming (“Y” for yes) or non-spore forming (“N” for no) bacteria. |
| Acceptable Containment Level |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
For bacteria, BSL comes from BacDive data. Viral values are assigned based on Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL): https://www.cdc.gov/labs/media/pdfs/2025/08/SF__19a_308133-A_BMBL6_00-BOOK-WEB-final-3.pdf or based on the NIH Guidelines for Research or based on Risk Group values from NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) - November 2013. Note the assumption that BSL = Risk Group. |
| Genome Type |
□ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Viral genome type, either DNA or RNA. |
| Ultrastructure |
□ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Viral ultrastructure, enveloped (env), non-enveloped (non-env), quasi-enveloped (quasi-env), or not applicable (NA). SMEs used ICTV to inform value assignments to viruses based on phylum or family. |
| Regulatory Strain / Species |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
EPA OCSPP 810 guideline regulatory strains (“Y” for yes or “N” for no). |
| Phyla |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Phyla are entered or selected from the dropdown menu. |
| Order |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Order is entered or selected from the dropdown menu. |
| Family |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Family is entered or selected from the dropdown menu. |
| Genus |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Genus is entered or selected from the dropdown menu. |
| Aerobic |
⊠ Bacteria □ Virus |
Aerobic or facultative anaerobic (“Y” for yes) or microaerophilic or obligate anaerobic (“N” for no). |
| Single stranded / Double stranded |
□ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Viral genome material, single stranded (“ss”) or double stranded (“ds”). |
| Motility |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Motile (“Y” for yes) or non-motile (“N” for no) bacteria. |
| Risk Group |
□ Bacteria □ Virus |
Values from NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) - November 2013. |
| Select Agent |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Based on Select Agents and Toxins List https://selectagents.gov/ from May 29, 2024. (“Y” for yes or “N” for no). |
| Notes |
⊠ ⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Mainly used to explain BSL value assignments made. Can be used to detail other value assignments. |
| Source |
⊠ Bacteria ⊠ Virus |
Bacteria from BacDive: https://bacdive.dsmz.de/advsearch Viruses from ICTV: https://ictv.global/sites/default/files/VMR/VMR_MSL39.v1_20240912.xlsx SME Additions: blank |