The ARS national programs on Animal Health and Arthropod Pests of Animals and Humans provide research that is key to protecting American livestock and poultry from devastating disease epidemics. That's because widespread travel, changing weather patterns, intensive agriculture, increased trade, and loss of animal genetic diversity increase the likelihood that an infectious disease could spread rapidly or that an outbreak of an exotic or zoonotic disease could take place.
Zoonotic diseases can spread from animals to humans.
The most dangerous infectious diseases of animals are exactly the ones we most need to understand. But just studying these diseases can pose a risk. These high-tech facilities that protect both animals and people. In essence, the BL3-ag designation means that air as well as all liquid and solid waste leaving the laboratory are treated to ensure that none of the disease agents or vectors being studied leave the laboratory. Exhaust air is filtered, waste is treated to inactivate infectious agents, equipment is decontaminated, and personnel follow strict safety and hygienic procedures.