Expanding the Scope of Biosecurity Through One Health

Abstract

Biosecurity is an integral part of biorisk management in a laboratory, and its definitions and applications extend well beyond, impacting all aspects of human, animal, and environmental health. At a basic level, biosecurity aims to protect valuable biological material assets. Once the asset is well-characterized, vulnerabilities and potential threats can be assessed and managed in context of its nature and environment. Approaching threat assessment from the perspective of the biological asset —whether the asset in question is a pathogen, medicament, biotechnology, plant, animal, or associated data—offers opportunity to facilitate useful mitigations for its protection or conservation. Considering biosecurity through One Health’s integrative, multi-disciplinary lens is key to achieve systemic health security for the humans, animals, and the environment. This approach requires critical evaluation and systems-level analysis, rather than limiting the scope of intervention to best practices. While the current speed of innovation threatens to outpace security, an understanding of the principles of biosecurity applied will facilitate decisions from the local to the global level.