Federal Select Agent Program

The Federal Select Agent Program is jointly comprised of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Division of Regulatory Science and Compliance and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Division of Agricultural Select Agents and Toxins. The Federal Select Agent Program oversees the possession, use and transfer of select agents and toxins, which pose a threat to public, animal or plant health. The Program greatly enhances the nation’s oversight of the safety and security of select agents by:

  • Developing, implementing, and enforcing the Select Agent Regulations
  • Maintaining a national database
  • Inspecting entities that possess, use, or transfer select agents
  • Ensuring that all individuals who work with these agents undergo a security risk assessment performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Criminal Justice Information Service
  • Providing guidance to regulated entities on achieving compliance to the regulations through the development of guidance documents, conducting workshops and webinars
  • Investigation of any incidents in which non-compliance may have occurred

If you have any questions or comments about the program, website or forms, contact lrsat@cdc.gov.

Anonymous Reporting

To report safety, security, or other concerns associated with select agents and toxins, please use the Office of Inspector General (OIG)’s confidential hotline. When reporting these issues to OIG, please ensure that you indicate it is a “Select Agent Complaint” issue.

OIG Hotline contact information

Voice: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477)
Fax: 1-800-223-8164
Web: https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/index.asp
Mail:
Office of Inspector General
Department of Health & Human Services
Attn: Hotline
P.O. Box 23489
Washington, DC 20026

USDA OIG Hotline contact information

Voice: 1-800-424-9121
Fax: 1-202-690-2474
Web: https://www.usda.gov/oig/hotline
Mail:
United States Department of Agriculture
Office of Inspector General
P.O. Box 23399
Washington, DC 20026-3399

Report the identification of
a select agent or toxin