Research hotspots and trend analyses of maximum biosafety level pathogens: A bibliometric study using China's 2023 catalogue of pathogens as an example.

Jing Huang, Yuanyuan Guo, Yeerzhati Tuluhongtayi, Changliang Wang, Juan Song, Jun Liu, Guizhen Wu

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Biosafety and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jing HuangNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.

Yuanyuan GuoNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.

Yeerzhati TuluhongtayiStrategic Pandemic Preparedness Action and Research Center, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China.

Changliang WangStrategic Pandemic Preparedness Action and Research Center, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China.

Juan SongNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.

Jun LiuStrategic Pandemic Preparedness Action and Research Center, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China.

Guizhen WuNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Maximum biosafety level laboratories, also known as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories are pivotal to advancing basic research and technological innovation for preventing and treating infections caused by maximum biosafety level pathogens. Herein, we conduct a bibliometric analysis to identify global research trends and hotspots in this field, with the aim of guiding future scientific strategy and fostering international collaboration. A total of 604 relevant English publications (1980-2025) from the Web of Science Core Collection were analyzed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package. The results delineate a two-phase growth pattern: annual publication output transitioned from a prolonged period of slow growth to a sustained high-output plateau following the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. Ebola virus is the most frequently studied pathogen, while the

Indexed as

BibliometricsBiosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratoryMaximum biosafety level pathogensResearch hotspotsTrend analyses

Identifiers

PMID42395652

DOI10.1016/j.bsheal.2026.05.004

PMCPMC13323538

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Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.