Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee - 5/30-31/91 
Mr. Mannix moved that the minutes be approved as amended by his comments. Dr. Gellert 
seconded the motion. There being no further discussion, the Chair put the motion to a vote. 
The motion passed unanimously with no abstentions. 
Dr. McGarrity then called on Dr. Fleming to present the next agenda item. 
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO APPENDICES AND B-I-B-2 OF THE NIH 
GUIDELINES REGARDING THE BACTERIAL ACTINOMYCETALES: 
Dr. Fleming noted that this proposed amendment was submitted in the name of the Mid- 
Atlantic Biological Safety Association and was compiled by herself, Dr. Joseph Van Houten 
of R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute and Linda Gulow of Hofmann-LaRoche. 
Dr. Fleming said the proposal was to remove the gram-positive bacteria group Actinomycetes 
from the Group II fungi in Appendix B-I-B-2, and to include pathogenic bacteria of this order 
in Appendix B-I-B-1 of the NIH Guidelines. 
Dr. Schaechter thanked Dr. Fleming for pointing out this taxonomic error in the NIH 
Guidelines which had grouped this gram-positive bacteria with fungi. He said he agreed with 
the concept of also only including pathogenic organisms of the order Actinomycetales in 
Appendix B-I-B-1. However, he pointed out that the list of six organisms supplied by Dr. 
Fleming seemed to be incomplete in that many of the submissions included with the proposal 
listed some 44 different known pathogens. He suggested that Dr. Fleming and her group 
review this listing and resubmit it for RAC consideration. 
Drs. Krogstad and Brinckerhoff agreed with Dr. Schaechter's comments and both agreed that 
careful consideration needed to be given to which organisms were to be included in Appendix 
B-I-B-1 so as to avoid any further problems of a taxonomic nature in these appendices. 
Dr. Fleming responded that she wished the RAC to make a formal motion on the removal 
of Actinomycetes from Appendix B-I-B-2, and that she would be willing to take this list of 
proposed pathogens back to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and ask their opinion on 
a list of frank pathogens to be included in Appendix B-I-B-1. 
Dr. Krogstad said he felt there was no way to make a formal motion on only the removal of 
Actinomycetes from Appendix B-I-B-2, without leaving a void in the NIH Guidelines by not 
including them in some other appendix. He noted that this error had been in place now for 
20 years and suggested that waiting another six months would not pose any problem. He 
asked Dr. Fleming to follow through with the CDC and return to the next meeting of the 
RAC. 
There being no further discussion. Dr. McGarrity called on Dr. Lotze to present the next 
agenda item. 
Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 14 
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