Databases, on CD-ROM or on Internet, are increasingly used by biotechnologists all over the world. Utilizing information from databases permits the application of earlier findings and exposure to new and improved working practices.

 
The ability to sequence DNA has led to an explosive growth in the sequence data available. Molecular sequence databases provide an opportunity for the computer analysis and comparison of all published sequences. Current important databases include information on: gene and genomic sequences of proteins and nucleic acids, human genome maps, genetic diseases, microbial strains, hybridoma, restriction enzymes, cloning vectors and taxonomic classification.

The field of biosafety is such a wide one, covering disciplines from chemistry and biotechnology to legal systems and regulations. A database system providing information on a wide range of subjects and from different points of view therefore is extremely useful to the biosafety officer.

Apart from accessing bibliography databases on the Internet, the unit receives the CCOD which covers bibliographic data and abstracts of over 900 leading agriculture journals. The unit also receives the ASM Journals on CD-ROM which contain full articles published in Microbiology Review, Journal of Virology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Applied Environmental Microbiology and Journal of Bacteriology.