§ 71.54 Import regulations for infectious biological agents, infectious substances, and vectors.

(a) The following definitions apply to this section:

Animal. Any member of the animal kingdom except a human including an animal product (e.g., a mount, rug, or other display item composed of the hide, hair, skull, teeth, bones, or claws).

Diagnostic specimen. Specimens of human and animal matter (including tissue, blood, body discharges, fluids, excretions or similar material), or environmental samples.

Genomic material. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or Ribonucleic acid (RNA) comprising the genome or organism's hereditary information, that may be single-stranded or double-stranded, and in a linear, circular, or segmented configuration and may be positive sense (same polarity as mRNA), negative sense, or ambisense (mixture of the two).

Infectious biological agent. A microorganism (including, but not limited to, bacteria (including rickettsiae), viruses, fungi, or protozoa) or prion, whether naturally occurring, bioengineered, or artificial, or a component of such microorganism or prion that is capable of causing communicable disease in a human.

Infectious substance. Any material that is known or reasonably expected to contain an infectious biological agent.

Select agents and toxins. Biological agents and toxins that could pose a severe threat to public health and safety as listed in 42 CFR 73.3 and 73.4.

Vector. Any animals (vertebrate or invertebrate) including arthropods or any noninfectious self-replicating system (e.g., plasmids or other molecular vector) or animal products (e.g., a mount, rug, or other display item composed of the hide, hair, skull, teeth, bones, or claws of an animal) that are known to transfer or are capable of transferring an infectious biological agent to a human.