Editing Biosecurity (section)

==Animals and plants==
[[File:Boot cleaning (6921518442).jpg|thumb|A biologist washing his boots to avoid contaminating a site with invasive species]]
Threats to animals and plants, in particular [[food crop]]s, which may in turn threaten human health, are typically overseen by a government [[department of agriculture]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Controlling disease in farm animals | website=GOV.UK | date=18 September 2012 | url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/controlling-disease-in-farm-animals | access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Biosecurity | website=Department of Agriculture | url=https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity | access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>

Animal biosecurity encompasses different means of prevention and containment of disease agents in a specific area. A critical element in animal biosecurity is biocontainment – the control of disease agents already present in a particular area and work to prevent transmission.<ref name="ReferenceA">1. Thomson, J. Biosecurity: preventing and controlling diseases in the beef herd. Livestock Conservation Institute; 1991; 49-51.</ref> Animal biosecurity may protect organisms from infectious agents or noninfectious agents such as toxins or pollutants, and can be executed in areas as large as a nation or as small as a local farm.<ref>5. Anderson, F. Biosecurity - a new term for an old concept: how to apply it. Bovine Practitioner; 1998; 32:61-70.</ref>

Animal biosecurity takes into account the [[epidemiology|epidemiological]] triad for disease occurrence: the individual host, the disease, and the environment in contributing to disease susceptibility. It aims to improve nonspecific immunity of the host to resist the introduction of an agent, or limit the risk that an agent will be sustained in an environment at adequate levels. Biocontainment works to improve specific immunity towards already present pathogens.<ref>8. Thomson, J. Biosecurity: preventing and controlling diseases in the beef herd. Livestock Conservation Institute; 1991; 49-51.</ref>

The [[aquaculture]] industry is also vulnerable to pathogenic organisms, including [[fungal infection|fungal]], bacterial, or viral infections which can affect fish at different stages of their life cycle.<ref>{{cite web | title=Biosecurity in Aquaculture: Fighting Disease Transmission | website=Syndel | date=30 October 2019 | url=https://syndel.com/supportive-resources/biosecurity-in-aquaculture-fighting-disease-transmission/ | access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref>