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Step 2: IATA Job Aid
Use the decision tree below to help you determine the classification for your substance if shipping by air. Use
the DOT job aid for packages sent by motor vehicle courier/ground.
Substance for Classification
Have any pathogens been neutralized/inactivated?
Is it known not to contain infectious substances?
Are all micro-organisms present non-pathogenic for humans/animals?
Is it a dried blood spot/fecal occult blood?
Is it an environmental sample, e.g. food and water that is not considered to pose a significant health risk?
Is it for transplant/transfusion?
No to all Yes to any
Does it meet the definition of a Not subject to the provisions of IATA
Category A substance? Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR)
unless meeting the criteria of another
class or division (e.g., formalin)
Yes No
UN 2814 Infectious Is it a patient specimen for which
substance, affecting there is only a minimal likelihood that
humans; or UN 2900 pathogens are present?
Infectious substance,
affecting animals (as
appropriate)
Yes No
Subject to “exempt human UN 3373 Biological
specimen” or “exempt animal substance, Category B
specimen” provisions
1
7/31/2019
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IATA Category A Indicative List
The following list is not exhaustive. Infectious substances, including new or emerging pathogens, which do not
appear in the list, but which meet the same criteria must be assigned to Category A. In addition, if there is doubt
as to whether a substance meets the criteria it must be included in Category A.
UN2814 Infectious substance, Marburg virus
affecting humans Monkeypox virus
Bacillus anthracis (cultures only) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (cultures only)
Brucella abortus (cultures only) Nipah virus
Brucella melitensis (cultures only) Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus
Brucella suis (cultures only) Poliovirus (cultures only)
Burkholderia mallei – Pseudomonas mallei – Rabies virus (cultures only)
Glanders (cultures only) Rickettsia prowazekii (cultures only)
Burkholderia pseudomallei – Pseudomonas Rickettsia rickettsii (cultures only)
pseudomallei (cultures only) Rift Valley fever virus (cultures only)
Chlamydia psittaci – avian strains (cultures only) Russian spring-summer encephalitis virus (cultures
Clostridium botulinum (cultures only) only)
Coccidioides immitis (cultures only) Sabia virus
Coxiella burnetii (cultures only) Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (cultures only)
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus Tick-borne encephalitis virus (cultures only)
Dengue virus (cultures only) Variola virus
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (cultures only) Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (cultures only)
Escherichia coli, verotoxigenic (cultures only) West Nile virus (cultures only)
Ebola virus Yellow fever virus (cultures only)
Flexal virus Yersinia pestis (cultures only)
Francisella tularensis (cultures only)
Guanarito virus UN2900 Infectious substance, affecting animals
Hantaan virus African swine fever virus (cultures only)
Hantavirus causing hemorrhagic fever with renal Avian paramyxovirus Type 1 – Velogenic Newcastle
syndrome disease Infectious
UN2814 virus (cultures only)
substance,
Hendra virus Classical swine
affecting humans fever virus (cultures only)
Hepatitis B virus (cultures only) Foot and
Bacillus mouth disease
anthracis (cultures virus
only)(cultures only)
Herpes B virus (cultures only) Lumpy skin
Brucella disease
abortus virus (cultures
(cultures only) only)
Human immunodeficiency virus (cultures only) Mycoplasma
Brucella mycoides
melitensis – Contagious
(cultures only) bovine
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (cultures pleuropneumonia
Brucella suis (cultures(cultures
only) only)
only) Burkholderia mallei
Peste des petits – Pseudomonas
ruminant’s mallei –only)
virus (cultures
Japanese Encephalitis virus (cultures only) Glanders (cultures
Rinderpest only) only)
virus (cultures
Junin virus Burkholderia pseudomallei
Sheep-pox virus – Pseudomonas
(cultures only)
Kyasanur Forest disease virus pseudomallei (cultures only)
Goatpox virus (cultures only)
Lassa virus Chlamydia psittaci
Swine vesicular – avian
disease strains
virus (cultures
(cultures only)only)
Clostridium botulinumvirus
Vesicular stomatitis (cultures only)only)
(cultures
Machupo virus
Coccidioides immitis (cultures only)
Coxiella burnetii (cultures only)
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus Dengue
This job aid is a component of the free, on-demand CDC training course “Packing
virus (cultures only) and Shipping Dangerous
Goods: What the Laboratory Staff Must Know.” Find the course at [Link]
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (cultures only)
Escherichia coli, verotoxigenic (cultures only)
v.23032 Ebola virus
Flexal virus
Francisella tularensis (cultures only)
Guanarito virus 2
Hantaan virus
Hantavirus causing hemorrhagic fever with renal