Biologic Weapons

Basics

Naturally occurring organisms or toxins that are purified and prepared for mass dissemination with the intent of causing mass morbidity, mortality, and social disruption
Organisms include bacteria, viruses, and fungi
Over 400 potential or actualized etiologic agents capable of being used as a biologic weapon:
- Characterized by their relatively low cost compared with other weapons of mass destruction (WMD), high potency, and their ability to be delivered in a stealthy manner
- Stealth quality of biologic weapons comes from organism’s natural incubation period
Easy to conceal and difficult to detect:
- Agents often invisible to naked eye, odorless, and tasteless
Patients typically present to various health care facilities with host of common complaints, adding to delay in recognition of covert release of biologic weapon
Victims of biologic warfare agents are exposed to agent via direct cutaneous contact, respiratory inhalation of aerosolized agent, or via GI tract after poisoning of food or water source

Bacteria:
- Anthrax: Bacillus anthracis
- Brucellosis: Organism in the Brucella genus
- Cholera: Vibrio cholerae:
  - Presents with severe GI symptoms and rapidly leads to profound dehydration
- Plague: Yersinia pestis
- Q fever: Coxiella burnetiid
- Tularemia: Francisella tularensis
Viruses:
- Smallpox: Variola virus
- Viral encephalitides: Members of Alphavirus genus (Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Western equine encephalitis)
- Viral hemorrhagic fevers: From 4 families of viruses – include illnesses such as Ebola, Hantavirus, Marburg, Lassa, and Dengue fever
Toxins:
- Botulinum toxin
- Mycotoxins
- Ricin
- Staphylococcal enterotoxin B

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