Animal Biosafety Levels
As a general principle, the biosafety level recommended for working with infectious agents in vivo and in vitro are comparable. However, the activities of the animals themselves can present unique hazards not found in standard microbiological laboratories. For example, Listeria monocytogenes is a BSL-2/ABSL-2 agent but poses a risk to a fetus and pregnant women should be advised of that risk. Brucella melitensis and Coxiella burnetti are BSL-2 organisms for nonpropagative work but are at ABSL-3 for animal research.