Pathogen Safety Data Sheets (PSDSs) (previously titled Material Safety Data Sheets for infectious substances) are technical documents that describe the hazardous properties of a human pathogen and provide recommendations for work involving these agents in a laboratory setting. These documents have been produced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as educational and information resources for laboratory personnel working with infectious substances.
Please note that work involving pathogens in Canada may require compliance with international, national, and provincial laws and guidelines.
Persons in Canada are responsible for complying with the relevant laws, including regulations, guidelines and standards applicable to the import, transport, and use of pathogens in Canada set by relevant regulatory authorities, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Transport Canada. The risk classification and related regulatory requirements referenced in these Pathogen Safety Data Sheets, such as those found in the Canadian Biosafety Standard, may be incomplete and are specific to the Canadian context. Other jurisdictions will have their own requirements.
Terms of use
The scientific information, opinions, and recommendations contained in these Pathogen Safety Data Sheets has been developed based on or compiled from trusted sources available at the time of publication. Newly discovered hazards are frequent and this information may not be completely up to date. The Government of Canada accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, sufficiency, or reliability or for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information.
Need a more up-to-date PSDS?
PHAC routinely reviews and updates the PSDSs posted on the website; however, the PSDSs found on the PHAC website are the most current versions. If you require a more recent version of the PSDS, we recommend that you make the necessary updates, using the PSDS Template as a guide.
Can't find the PSDS you need?
PHAC produces PSDSs as a courtesy service to provide health and safety information about pathogens for those working with them in laboratories. The PSDSs currently listed are some of the most in demand; however, PHAC does routinely review this list to determine whether additional PSDSs should be added. If you need a PSDS that is not on the list, you should contact the supplier of the material, or you can develop a PSDS using the PSDS Template.
Pathogen Safety Data Sheet template
If you need a PSDS that is not on the list below, you can contact the supplier of the material, or create your own. Use the Editable Word template to create a PSDS that complies with Canadian standards. The Editable Word template allows you to use your own referencing software.
- PSDS template
Get the PSDS App
The PSDS App is available as a free download for your devices in the Android and Apple stores.
If you notice an error in a PSDS
We welcome any feedback on our PSDSs. If you notice an error, missing information, or room for improvement, please let us know by sending an email to the Centre for Biosecurity: pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
More information
- For more information on Pathogen Safety Data Sheets, contact the Centre for Biosecurity: pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca
- To view the Risk Group Database, visit ePathogen
- For information about infectious diseases, visit Infectious Diseases
- For those working with animal pathogens, visit Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Disease Agent Information page.
PSDS by Pathogen Name
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
- Acanthamoeba castellanii
- Actinobacillus spp.
- Actinomyces spp.
- Adenovirus (types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7)
- Adenovirus (types 40 and 41)
- Aerococcus spp.
- Aeromonas hydrophila
- Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
- Alkhumra virus
- Ancylostoma duodenale
- Angiostrongylus cantonensis
- Ascaris spp.
- Aspergillus spp.
B
- Bacillus anthracis
- Bacillus cereus
- Bacteroides spp.
- Balantidium coli
- Bartonella bacilliformis
- Bartonella henselae
- Bartonella quintana
- Blastomyces dermatitidis
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
- Bordetella parapertussis
- Bordetella pertussis
- Borrelia burgdorferi
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Agent (prepared by CFIA)
- Branhamella catarrhalis
- Brucella spp. (B. abortus, B. canis, B. melitensis, B. suis)
- Brugia spp.
- Burkholderia mallei
- Burkholderia pseudomallei
C
- California serogroup
- Campylobacter coli
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Candida albicans
- Candida auris
- Capnocytophaga spp.
- Chikungunya virus
- Chlamydia psittaci
- Chlamydia trachomatis
- Chlamydophila pneumoniae
- Citrobacter spp.
- Cladophialophora bantiana
- Clonorchis sinensis
- Clostridium botulinum
- Clostridium difficile
- Clostridium perfringens
- Clostridium tetani
- Clostridium spp. (with the exception of those species listed above)
- Coccidioides spp.
- Colorado tick fever virus
- Corynebacterium diphtheriae
- Cowpox virus
- Coxiella burnetii
- Coxsackievirus
- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus
- Cryptococcus gattii
- Cryptococcus neoformans
- Cryptosporidium parvum
- Cyclospora spp.
- Cytomegalovirus
D
- Dengue virus (1, 2, 3, 4)
- Diphtheroids
E
- Eastern (Western) equine encephalitis virus
- Ebola virus
- Echinococcus granulosus
- Echinococcus multilocularis
- Echovirus
- Edwardsiella tarda
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Enterobacter spp.
- Enterococcus faecalis and faecium
- Enterovirus 70
- Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum spp. Trichophyton spp.
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Escherichia coli, enterohemorrhagic
- Escherichia coli, enteroinvasive
- Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic
- Escherichia coli, enterotoxigenic
F
- Fasciola hepatica
- Francisella tularensis
- Fusobacterium spp.
G
- Gemella haemolysans
- Giardia lamblia
- Guanarito mammarenavirus
H
- Haemophilus ducreyi
- Haemophilus influenzae
- Haemophilus influenzae (type b)
- Hantaan orthohantavirus
- Hantavirus
- Helicobacter pylori
- Henipavirus hendraense
- Hepatitis A virus
- Hepatitis B virus
- Hepatitis C virus
- Hepatitis D virus
- Hepatitis E virus
- Herpes simplex virus
- Herpesvirus simiae
- Histoplasma capsulatum
- Haemophilus parainfluenzae
- Human coronavirus
- Human gammaherpesvirus 8
- Human herpesvirus 6A, 6B and 7
- Human immunodeficiency virus
- Human papillomavirus
- Human parainfluenza virus
- Human rotavirus
- Human T-lymphotrophic virus
I
- Influenza A virus (subtypes H5, H7, H9)
- Influenza Virus Type A (excluding 1918 influenza A (H1N1) strain and subtypes H5, H7 and H9)
- Influenza Virus (B and C)
J
- Japanese encephalitis virus
- Junin virus
K
- Klebsiella spp.
- Kyasanur Forest disease virus
L
- Lactobacillus spp.
- Lassa virus
- Legionella pneumophila
- Leishmania spp.
- Leptospira interrogans
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Louping ill virus
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
M
- Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1
- Machupo virus
- Marburg virus
- Mayaro virus
- Measles virus
- Micrococcus spp.
- Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-related coronavirus
- Molluscum contagiosum virus
- Monkeypox virus (updated)
- Moraxella spp.
- Mucambo virus
- Mumps virus
- Murray Valley encephalitis virus
- Mycobacterium spp. (excluding M. tuberculosis, and members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex)
- Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex
- Mycoplasma genitalium
- Mycoplasma hominis
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Mycoplasma spp.
N
- Naegleria fowleri
- Necator americanus
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Neisseria meningitidis
- Neisseria spp. (other than N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis)
- Newcastle disease virus
- Nipah Virus
- Nocardia spp.
- Norovirus
O
- Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus
- Onchocerca volvulus
- O'Nyong-Nyong virus
- Opisthorchis spp.
- Orientia tsutsugamushi
- Oropouche virus
P
- Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
- Parvovirus B19
- Pasteurella spp.
- Peptococcus niger
- Peptostreptococcus spp.
- Plasmodium falciparum
- Plesiomonas shigelloides
- Porphyromonas gingivalis
- Powassan encephalitis virus
- Proteus spp.
- Pseudomonas spp. (excluding B. mallei, B. pseudomallei)
R
- Rabies virus
- Respiratory syncytial virus
- Rhinovirus
- Rickettsia akari
- Rickettsia conorii
- Rickettsia japonica
- Rickettsia prowazekii
- Rickettsia rickettsii
- Rickettsia typhi
- Rotavirus A
- Ross river virus
- Rubella virus
S
- Sabiá virus
- Salmonella enterica spp. (formerly Salmonella choleraesuis)
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) associated Coronavirus
- Schistosoma spp.
- Semliki Forest virus
- Serratia spp.
- Shigella spp.
- Sindbis virus
- Sporothrix schenckii
- St. Louis encephalitis
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Staphylococcus saprophyticus
- Streptobacillus moniliformis
- Streptococcus agalactiae
- Streptococcus faecalis (see Enterococcus faecalis)
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Streptococcus salivarius
T
- Taenia saginata
- Taenia solium
- Talaromyces marneffei
- Tick-borne encephalitis virus
- Toxocara canis, T. cati
- Toxoplasma gondii
- Treponema pallidum
- Trichinella spp.
- Trichomonas vaginalis
- Trichuris trichiura
- Trypanosoma brucei
- Trypanosoma cruzi
U
- Ureaplasma urealyticum
V
- Vaccinia virus
- Varicella-zoster virus
- Variola virus
- Venezuelan equine encephalitis
- Vesicular stomatitis virus
- Vibrio cholerae, serovar 01
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus
W
- West Nile Virus
- Wuchereria bancrofti
Y
- Yellow fever virus
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Yersinia pestis
- Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Z
- Zika virus