On 19, 20 and 21 September, the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture of the Spanish National Research Council (IAS-CSIC) held the specialization course “Biosafety for working with plant pathogenic quarantine organisms (PQO): The case of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa“, aimed at scientific and technical personnel working on Xylella fastidiosa.

This course is part of the SolXyl training activities. Solxyl is an interdisciplinary technology platform that promotes scientific and technical knowledge of this quarantine pathogen, the first priority pest in Spain.

Twenty-five participants from different CSIC centers, universities and other research centers attended the course, which covered various aspects of biosafety when working with phytopathogenic organisms.

Participants learned and discussed theoretical and practical topics such as risk assessment, containment design, regulatory requirements, health and safety, protective equipment and waste management. They also had the opportunity to apply their knowledge in practical cases in the Institute’s biosafety facilities, carrying out some experiments with Xylella fastidiosa.

The course drew on the experience of leading biosafety professionals such as Fernando Usera Mena (CNB), Jorge Pérez Bruzón (Lab Safety), Laura Hernández Dato (MAPA), Blanca B. Landa (IAS-CSIC), Miguel Román–Écija (IAS-CSIC), Maria del Pilar Velasco (IAS-CSIC).