Bacterial Biowarfare Agents (original) (raw)

Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century

Mongols catapult plague-infected corpses over the walls into Kaffa , with the intent of causing a plague epidemic upon the Genoan enemy (Derbes, 1966). 1767 During the French and Indian War, British forces in North America give blankets used by smallpox patients to the Native Americans (Christopher et al., 1997). 1917 Germans use anthrax and glanders (Burkholderia mallei) to infect livestock and animal feed for export to the Allied Forces (Christopher et al., 1997). 1937 Japan creates "Unit 731," a BW (Biowarfare) research facility in Manchuria, where experimental infections were carried out on Chinese prisoners. More than 10,000 people die after exposure to plague, anthrax, tularemia, syphilis, and other agents. It is believed that the facility also had millions of rats infected with fleas carrying Yersinia pestis (Girdwood, 1985; Harris, 1992). 1939 Japan poisons Soviet water supply with intestinal pathogens at Mongolian border (Nomonhan incident) (Williams and Wallace, 1989). 1940 Japan drops rice and wheat mixed with plague-carrying fleas over China and Manchuria (Williams and Wallace, 1989). 1942 The U.S. begins biological weapons program and chooses Camp Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, as its research and development site. Research efforts initially concentrated on the use of anthrax and botulinum toxin as bioweapons (Christopher et al., 1997). 1943 England tests anthrax bombs to kill sheep on Gruinard Island ("Anthrax Island") off the coast of Scotland. Viable anthrax spores were still found on the island 40 years later (Manchee et al., 1982). 1979 Outbreak of pulmonary anthrax in Sverdlovsk, U.S.S.R. caused by an accidental release of anthrax spores from a Soviet military microbiological facility. Hundreds are exposed and at least 67 die (Meselson et al., 1994). 1984 Outbreak of salmonellosis in Oregon, U.S., after members of the Rajneesh cult intentionally contaminate salad bars with Salmonella typhimurium (Torok et al., 1997). 1985 Iraq develops biological weapons including anthrax, botulinum toxin, and aflatoxin (Christopher et al., 1997). 1993 Members of the Japanese cult of Aum Shinrikyo attempt an aerosolized release of anthrax from the tops of buildings in Tokyo (Smithson, 2000). 1996 Outbreak of Shigella dysenteriae in Texas, U.S. after workers ingest food that was intentionally contaminated with this bacteria (Kolavic et al., 1997). 576 Mark Soboleski, Audrey Glynn, and Lucy Cárdenas-Freytag Chapter 15. Bacterial Biowarfare Agents 577 2001 Release of anthrax spores through the U.S. mail. A total of 22 confirmed cases of bioterrorism-related anthrax; 5 people die (Fennelly et al., 2004; Jernigan et al., 2001). 1. Biowarfare Agents and Historical Perspective Bioterrorism can be defined as the dissemination of biological agents with the intention to induce disease and spread fear and panic. The release of microbial pathogens (such as Bacillus anthracis or Yersinia pestis) or biological toxins (such as botulinum toxin or ricin) can result in serious morbidity and mortality and perhaps, more importantly, it can cause great disruption to society, massive public health crises, and tremendous impact on worldwide economy. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), potential biological biowarfare agents are classified into three categories: A, B, and C (Table 1). Category A agents are the highest-priority pathogens. They pose the greatest risk to national security because they (a) can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person, (b) result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact, (c) might cause public panic and social disruption, and (d) require special action for public health preparedness. Category B agents include pathogens that are moderately easy to disseminate, result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates, and require specifically enhanced diagnostic capacity. Category C agents include emerging pathogens, to which the general population lacks immunity, and that could be engineered for mass dissemination because of ready availability, ease of production, ease of dissemination, potential for high morbidity and mortality, and major public health impact. (CDC, 2005