Systematic approach towards establishing a National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens

Figures & data

Figure 1. Schematic overview of the different phases and related actions that are required to establish a National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens

Table 1. Stakeholders and their function in the National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens implementation process

Stakeholders	Contribution
High level representative(s) from governmental body	Adequate resources, authority, mandate. E.g. a representative of Prime Minister’s Office.
Representative(s) from ministries responsible for health security	Expertise in (inter)national biosecurity initiatives and national representative of Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), United Nation Council Security Resolution 1540 (UNCSR 1540), Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). E.g. representative of Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and/or Ministry of Security
Representative(s) from ministries responsible for health safety	Expertise in (inter)national health safety initiatives on animal-, environment-, and human level and national representative of WHO. E.g. representative of Ministry of Health or Ministry of Agriculture
High level representative(s) from (public) health institute	Expertise of national health situation, health authority, advise on all determinants of health
Top management from (public health) institutes, working with high-risk biological agents	General information on pathogens institutes work with and agreement to share data
Contact points from (public health) institutes, working with high-risk biological agents	Information on pathogens that are present in the country and on the current situation. E.g. from hospitals, laboratories, universities
Biorisk officers/managers	Expertise in biosafety and biosecurity management and on reducing risks posed by pathogens
(Medical) Microbiologists (animal, plant and human)	Expertise of pathogens and the corresponding human, animal, and plant diseases
Database experts	Knowledge and skills of setting up and maintaining an electronic database
IT security specialists	Knowledge and skills to securely implement a database
Communication experts	Expertise in communication, awareness raising and stakeholder engagement

Table A1. Relevant elements that could be included into the electronic database

Field entry	Field options	Explanation
Contact information institute
Name institute	[Text input]	Name of the legal entity of the respective institute
Establishment	[Text input]	Legal name of the establishment that is part of the legal entity
Type of institute	[Checkbox] Hospital University Public health institute Veterinary institute Agricultural institute Pharmaceutical company Research institute Food authority Other [text input]	An organization, institute, or company devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program
Primary task	[Checkbox] Diagnostics Medical research Veterinary research Agricultural research Biotechnology Pharmaceutical development Public health Other [text input]	The type of endeavour or task that is pursued within the respective organisation, institute, or company
Address	Street name and number
	Zip/ postal code
	P.O. Box
	City
	Region
	Coordinates
	Telephone
	Email
Information biological agent
Name biological agent	[Dropdown menu]	Scientific name of the respective biological agent. For example Bacillus anthracis.
Type of biological agent	[Checkbox] Bacterium Virus Fungus Parasite Toxin	Describes the type of the respective biological agent
Mode of Transmission	[Checkbox] Airborne Oral Faecal Sexual Vector-born Blood-born Parental (mother to child)	A method of transmission is the movement or the transmission of pathogens from a reservoir to a susceptible host. Once a pathogen has exited the reservoir, it needs a mode of transmission to the host through a portal of entry. Transmission can be by direct or indirect contact or through airborne transmission.
Host range	[Checkbox] Human Animal Plant Unknown	The host range is the collection of hosts that an organism can use as a partner
Reservoir	[Checkbox] Human reservoir Animal reservoir Environmental reservoir Unknown	Any person, animal, plant, soil or substance in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies. The reservoir typically harbours the infectious agent without injury to itself and serves as a source from which other individuals can be infected. The infectious agent primarily depends on the reservoir for its survival. It is from the reservoir that the infectious substance is transmitted to a human or another susceptible host.
Risk classification	[Checkbox] 2 3 4	Biological agents that are known to infect humans are classified according to Risk Groups (RG), with RG1 as the lowest/least harmful and RG4 as the highest. These pathogens are classified into four hazard groups according to the following criteria: Ability to cause infection; Severity of the disease; Risk that the infection will spread to the population; Availability of vaccines and effective treatment
Contact details person 1 (e.g. CEO of the institute) The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the respective institute. The CEO is the highest-ranking executive within the institute, and their primary responsibilities include making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources of the institute, and acting as the main point of communication between the board of directors and corporate operations.
Full Name	Title
	First name
	Last name
Contact	Telephone
	Mobile phone
	Email
Contact details person 2 (e.g. Management) A team of individuals at the highest level of management within an organization and has the day-to-day tasks of managing the institute or organisation
Full name	Title
	First name
	Last name
Position	[Checkbox] Head of the department Other [text input]
Contact	Telephone
	Mobile phone
	Email
Contact details person 3 (e.g. Responsible for pathogen) The person within the respective institute who has the authority and the duty of taking care of the particular biological agent
Full name	Title
	First name
	Last name
Position	[Checkbox] Head of the department Biosafety officer Analyst Other [text input]
Contact	Telephone
	Mobile phone
	Email

Data availability statement

Please contact the corresponding author to request the electronic NIDP database software.