生物安全时代:新生物科技变革与国家安全治理*

科技进步改进了人类对天然生物危害因子的操控能力,在诱发新的生物安全危害形态的同时,也赋予了生物安全客体的源头难以追溯性、生物安全主体的多元性、生物安全危害演变机理的复杂性等特点。生物安全在很大程度上体现了非传统安全的非传统特点。随着生物科技与生物安全在推动人类社会发展进程的作用日益显著,21世纪或将成为生物安全的时代。新一轮生物科技变革及其与人类社会互动衍生的生物安全问题,已经逐渐触及人类安全观念和现代文明的内源性危机或挑战。全面提升国家生物安全能力、优化国家生物安全治理,不仅是世界各国的战略选择,也是对人类科技文明与政治文明的新探索。     

Molecular identification of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in southeastern Australia

DNA barcoding is a modern species identification technique that can be used to distinguish morphologically similar species, and is particularly useful when using small amounts of starting material from partial specimens or from immature stages. In order to use DNA barcoding in a surveillance program, a database containing mosquito barcode sequences is required. This study obtained Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) sequences for 113 morphologically identified specimens, representing 29 species, six tribes and 12 genera; 17 of these species have not been previously barcoded. Three of the 29 species ─ Culex palpalis, Macleaya macmillani, and an unknown species originally identified as Tripteroides atripes ─ were initially misidentified as they are difficult to separate morphologically, highlighting the utility of DNA barcoding. While most species grouped separately (reciprocally monophyletic), the Cx. pipiens subgroup could not be genetically separated using COI. The average conspecific and congeneric p‐distance was 0.8% and 7.6%, respectively. In our study, we also demonstrate the utility of DNA barcoding in distinguishing exotics from endemic mosquitoes by identifying a single intercepted Stegomyia aegypti egg at an international airport. The use of DNA barcoding dramatically reduced the identification time required compared with rearing specimens through to adults, thereby demonstrating the value of this technique in biosecurity surveillance. The DNA barcodes produced by this study have been uploaded to the ‘Mosquitoes of Australia–Victoria’ project on the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD), which will serve as a resource for the Victorian Arbovirus Disease Control Program and other national and international mosquito surveillance programs.     

Laying the foundations for a bio-economy

Biological technologies are becoming an important part of the economy. Biotechnology already contributes at least 1% of US GDP, with revenues growing as much as 20% annually. The introduction of composable biological parts will enable an engineering discipline similar to the ones that resulted in modern aviation and information technology. As the sophistication of biological engineering increases, it will provide new goods and services at lower costs and higher efficiencies. Broad access to foundational engineering technologies is seen by some as a threat to physical and economic security. However, regulation of access will serve to suppress the innovation required to produce new vaccines and other countermeasures as well as limiting general economic growth.

Timing of propagule release significantly alters the deposition area of resulting aerial dispersal

Aim The aim of this study is to determine whether changes to the seasonal and circadian timing of propagule release can a have a significant effect on the area covered by resulting aerial dispersal. Location Western Australia. Methods Using the atmospheric pollution model (TAPM), an existing meso‐scale dispersal model, a range of release patterns was simulated and the resulting deposition compared. Comparisons were based on observations of deposition patterns and the calculated area of deposition. Results Small changes to the timing of propagule release were shown to significantly impact on the area experiencing deposition from the resulting aerial dispersal. Main conclusions Simulations performed in this study show that, for small propagules, changes to the timing of release can lead to alternate, clearly differentiable dispersal events. Small changes in both the seasonal and circadian patterns of release can have significant effects on the area that experiences deposition during the resulting dispersal event. This effect is particularly important at the landscape scale and when there is a need to quantify individual dispersal events. Predictive modelling of aerial dispersal needs to be undertaken with an understanding of the manner in which biological and environmental factors that affect the timing of propagule release can influence results. Results presented highlight the need to characterize the epidemiology of pathogenic organisms of importance to biosecurity as much as possible before they arrive.     

实验动物与生物安全

实验动物是从事科学研究、教学、生产、检定等的重要工具和支撑条件.随着科学技术的飞速发展,科学研究中使用的实验动物和实验用动物的种类、品系越来越多,生物安全问题已经明显地威胁到生物多样性、生态环境和人类健康.本文分析了实验动物的潜在生物安全危害,探讨了实验动物生物安全管理方面存在的问题并就应对实验动物生物安全提出了一些建议.     

Evaluating extreme risks in invasion ecology: learning from banking compliance

Increasing international trade has exacerbated the risks of ecological damage due to invasive pests and diseases. For extreme events such as invasions of damaging exotic species or natural catastrophes, there are no or very few directly relevant data, so expert opinion must be relied on heavily. Expert opinion must be as fully informed and calibrated as possible – by available data, by other experts, and by the reasoned opinions of stakeholders. We survey a number of quantitative and non-quantitative methods that have shown promise for improving extreme risk analysis, particularly for assessing the risks of invasive pests and pathogens associated with international trade. We describe the legally inspired regulatory regime for banks, where these methods have been brought to bear on extreme 'operational risks'. We argue that an 'advocacy model' similar to that used in the Basel II compliance regime for bank operational risks and to a lesser extent in biosecurity import risk analyses is ideal for permitting the diversity of relevant evidence about invasive species to be presented and soundly evaluated. We recommend that the process be enhanced in ways that enable invasion ecology to make more explicit use of the methods found successful in banking.     

Potential impacts of Tuberolachnus salignus (giant willow aphid) in New Zealand and options for control

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Recent trends in non‐native,invertebrate, plant pest establishments in Great Britain,accounting for time lags in reporting

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