Fetal Bovine Serum – Geographical Origin and International Trade

Abstract

OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE www.bioprocessingjournal.com 1 FOOTNOTES 1. Footnotes 2–5 provide examples of the complexity of importation requirements. Additional requirements exist for other importing countries with respect to certain exporting regions, and this table should not be regarded as complete or necessarily current. Exporters should contact the relevant border inspection post to confirm current importation requirements. 2. Must come from a registered facility and meet importation eligibility requirements for sterility. Must be negative for mycoplasma, bluetongue virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine leukemia virus, cytopathic effect, and hemadsorption. 3. Requires three-month residency. 4. USDA Safety Testing – bluetongue and Akabane virus (must be negative after testing). 5. USDA Safety Testing – bluetongue virus (must be negative after testing). 6. Excluding Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize. Introduction It is a common belief that fetal bovine serum (FBS) collected from certain geographical regions, such as New Zealand, is of superior quality to material collected from South America. Whilst it is true that origin does have an impact on the price of serum, it does not affect the quality or biological performance of the product. FBS collected under similar conditions from any geographical region will demonstrate comparable ability to support cell growth. For FBS, the term “quality” is frequently confused with “health status.” It is the health status of the geographical region from which the serum is collected that will dictate its potential use, the availability of material for import, and eventually, the price. It should be noted that health status should be considered a result of more than just the geographical source of the material, but also the regulatory infrastructure and how well regulations are enforced by the countries within that region. The health status of a country is determined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The mission of the OIE is to ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation. The OIE issues information concerning the health status of various countries with regard to animal diseases of concern, including foot-and-mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and other diseases affecting cattle populations globally.[1] The status of a country, with regard to the presence of an animal disease of concern, together with interagency government agreements, will determine where serum collected within that country may be exported. Individual countries have varying requirements for importation of serum from the same geographies based on the animal health status of the region from which the serum was collected. Table 1 provides an overview of the requirements for moving FBS from one part of the world to another. As can be seen, these requirements are extremely complex and are continually changing as regulations evolve. Exporters are strongly encouraged to contact border Fetal Bovine Serum – Geographical Origin and International Trade By Jennifer A. Murray and Rosemary J. Versteegen