Select Agents

Select Agents and Toxins are biological materials with the potential to cause severe harm to humans, animals, plants, or agricultural systems. The Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP), jointly run by the CDC and USDA-APHIS, regulates the possession, use, and transfer of these agents to enhance national biosafety and biosecurity.

A subset of these—Tier 1 Select Agents—are considered the highest risk due to their potential for mass casualties or use in bioterrorism. They are subject to stricter security controls: