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BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
A GENERAL SURVEYBY - MAITREYEE DAS ( BBT 3RD SEMESTER )
WHAT IS A BIOLOGICAL WEAPON ?
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT MAY BE UTILISED AS WEAPONS AGAINST HUMANS , ANIMALS OR PLANTS.
AFFECTS LIVING ORGANISMS ONLY.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
4300 BC : DISPOSAL OF DEAD BODIES INTO WATER SOURCES OF ENEMIES.
14TH CENTURY : SIEGE OF KAFFA.
18TH CENTURY : CHICKEN POX INFECTED BLANKETS TO INDIANS.
WWI - GERMAN SABOTAGE IN NEUTRAL COUNTRIES.
1925 : GENEVA PROTOCOL.
1932 : 1945 – JAPAN’S UNIT 731 IN MANCHURIA.
WWII TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR – USA, CANADA AND UK HAD BIOWEAPONS.
HOW ARE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS USED???
BIOLOGICAL WARFAREINTENTIONAL USE OF MICRO-ORGANISMS, AND TOXINS, GENERALLY OF MICROBIAL, PLANT OR ANIMAL ORIGIN TO PRODUCE DISEASE AND DEATH IN HUMANS, LIVESTOCK AND CROPS.
“BANNED” BY THE BIOLOGICAL WEAPON CONVECTION ,1972
BIOTERRORISM
DELIBERATE RELEASE OF VIRUSES, BACTERIA, TOXINS OR OTHER HARMFUL AGENTS USED TO CAUSE ILLNESS OR DEATH IN PEOPLE, ANIMALS, OR PLANTS.
AGENTS
BACTERIA
VIRUSES
TOXINSFUNGUS
TARGET
• MORTALITY / MORBIDITY / FEARHUMANS
• FOOD SUPPLY / ECONOMY / FEAR
ANIMALS
• FOOD SUPPLY / ECONOMYPLANTS
TARGET BASED AGENTS/PATHOGENS
ANTIPERSONNEL - PEOPLE ANTIANIMAL – LIVESTOCK OR PACK ANIMALSANTIPLANT – PLANTS AND CROPSANTIMATERIEL – PETROLEUM, MODERN ALLOYS, PLASTICS
WHICH AGENTS SHOULD WE BE
MORE CONCERNED ABOUT??
CDC CLASSIFICATION
DISEASES/ AGENTS IN CATEGORY A
EASILY DISSEMINATED.HIGH MORTALITY RATES.POTENTIAL FOR MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT.POSSIBLY CAUSE PUBLIC PANIC AND SOCIAL DISRUPTION.REQUIRE SPECIAL ACTION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS.
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS [CATEGORY A]
BACTERIA
VIRUSES
TOXINS BACILLUS
ANTHRACIS (ANTHRAX / MILTZBRAND)
YERSINIA PESTIS (PLAGUE / PEST)
FRANCISELLA TULARENSIS (TULAREMIA / HASENPEST)
VARIOLA MAJOR (SMALLPOX / POCKEN)
FILOVIRUSES (e.g. EBOLA, MARBURG)
ARENAVIRUSES (e.g. LASSA, MACHUPO)
CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUS TOXIN (BOTULINISM/ BOTULISMUS)
CDC CATEGORY BMODERATELY EASY TO DISSEMINATE.
MODERATE MORBIDITY RATES AND LOW MORTALITY RATES.
REQUIRE ENHANCED DISEASE SURVEILANCE.
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS [CATEGORY B]
VIRUSES
TOXINSBACTER
IABRUCELLA SPECIES
(BRUCELLOSIS)
COXIELLA BURNETTI ( Q-FEVER)
SALMONELLA SPECIES, SHIGELLA, E. COLI ( FOOD SAFETY THREATS)
RICKETTSIA PROWAZAKII (TYPHUS)
ALPHAVIRUSES ( ENCEPHALITIS)
EPSILON TOXIN OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS
RICIN TOXINS OF RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR BEANS)
ENTEROTOXIN B (STAPHYLOCOCCAL)
CDC CATEGORY CEMERGING PATHOGENS.
AVAILABILITY.
EASE OF PRODUCTION AND DISSEMINATION.
POTENTIALLY HIGH MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES, MAJOR HEALTH IMPACTS.
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
[CATEGORY C]VIRUSE
S
NIPAH VIRUSHANTAVIRUS
THE THREAT
TYPES1. MAJOR CATEGORIES – BACTERIA, VIRUSES,
TOXINS.
2. PERSISTENT (ANTHRAX) VS NON- PERSISTENT (INFLUENZA).
3. LETHAL (BOTULISM) VS INCAPACITATING (Q-FEVER).
4. CONTAGIOUS (SMALLPOX) VS NON-CONTAGIOUS (ANTHRAX).
THE IDEAL MASS KILLER:CHARACTERISTICS
PERSISTENCE: SPORES OR LOCAL ANIMAL RESERVOIR.HIGHLY LETHAL , WITH LITTLE IMMUNITY.NO EFFECTIVE TREATMENT.FACTORS ENCOURAGING EPIDEMIC FORMATION
COMMUNICABLE BETWEEN PEOPLE.RELATIVELY LONG INCUBATION PERIOD.ASYMPTOMATIC INFECTION.VAGUE ONSET SYMPTOMS.
WIDESPREAD DISPERSAL.LOW ID50 : AMOUNT NEEDED TO INFECT 50% OF PEOPLE.
Agent Persist / Animal Host?
Lethality If Not Treated
Treat-ment?
Commun-icable?
Incuba-tion?
Asymp-tomatic Infection?
Anthrax Yes > 90% Lim No 1-6d NoSmallpox No 20-40 No Yes 12d NoHIV No 100% Yes Lim 9 yrs YesEbola Yes 80-90 No Lim 5-10d NoWest Nile Yes 10% No No 5-15d NoPlague Yes 100% Yes Yes 2-6d NoTularemia Yes 30-60 Yes No 2-10d NoMarburg Yes 25-90 No Lim 3-9d NoTyphus Yes 10-60 Lim No 6-16d NoCCHF Yes 15-30 No Yes 1-6d No?Influenza Yes .1-3% Lim Yes 1-4d Yes
DO BIOLOGICAL SUPERWEAPONS EXIST??
NO NATURAL DISEASE QUALIFIES.
GENETIC ENGINEERING CAN INCREASE LETHALITY, VIRULENCE.
TENDENCY OF REDUCED VIRULENCE OVER TIME. RESULT = EVOLUTION TO WEAKER FORMS OVER TIME.
ASSESSMENT OF RISK
THE STRATEGIC CHOICE OF ANTIPERSONNEL BW AGENTSTWO KEY CHOICES :
COMMUNICABILITYLETHALITY
BIOWEAPONS : DESIGN CHOICES
Pathogens
Contagious
Lethal Nonlethal
Non-Contagio
usLethal Nonletha
l
BIOWEAPONS : STRATEGIC CHOICES
Pathogens
Contagious
Mass Killing
EconomicDisruption
Non-Contagious
AreaDenial
Incapacitation
ANTHRAX (BACILLUS ANTHRACIS)
ANCIENT : EARLIEST DESCIRPTION MADE IN 1491 BC, EGYPT.
1613 : FIRST PANDEMIC “BLACK BANE”, EUROPE.
18TH CENTURY : FIRST EPIDEMIC IN UNITED STATES. 1978-80 : ZIMBABWE, LARGEST RECORDED OUTBREAK.
HISTORY OF CURRENT THREAT
RESEARCH AS A BIOWEAPON STARTED >80 YEARS AGO.
TODAY 17 NATIONS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE WEAPONRY.
IRAQ HAS ACKNOWLEDGED PRODUCING AND WEAPONISING ANTHRAX BETWEEN 1955 AND 1991.
1970 : WHO ESTIMATE : AN AIRCRAFT RELEASE OF 50 KG OVER 5 MILLION POPULATION WOULD KILL 2,50,000 – 100,000 WITHOUT TREATMENT.
1979 : ACCIDENTAL AEROSOLISED RELEASE IN SOVIET UNION CAUSED 79 CASES AND 68 DEATHS.
ANTHRAX UNITED STATES : 1951-2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Cas
es
20,000 – 1,00,000 CASES ESTIMATED GLOBALLY/YEAR
SMALLPOX (VARIOLA VIRUS)
MOST DEATHS OF ANY INFECTIOUS DISEASE
ONLY TWO STOCKS REMAINING , OFFICIALLY (U.S. AND RUSSIA)
FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS (1754-1767)
ALLEGATIONS OF USE IN U.S. CIVIL WAR
ALLEGED USE BY JAPANESE IN CHINA IN WWII
BIOWEAPON POTENTIAL FEATURES MAKING SMALLPOX A LIKELY AGENT
CAN BE PRODUCED IN LARGE QUANTITY
STABLE FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION
KNOWN TO PRODUCE STABLE AEROSOL
HIGH MORTALITY
HIGHLY INFECTIOUS
PERSON-TO-PERSON SPREAD
INFLUENZA1781-82 : AFFLICTS BETWEEN 67-75% OF WESTERN EUROPE1789 : EPIDEMIC HITS CANADA1829-32 : STARTED IN ASIA IN LATE 1829 BREAKOUTS IN RUSSIA, 1830 – SPREADS WESTWARD REACHES UNITED STATES IN NOVEMBER,1831 HEADS TO INDONESIA, JANUARY 1832 1889-90 : “RUSSIAN FLU”, CENTRAL ASIA, 1889 SPREADS NORTH TO RUSSIA, EAST TO CHINA , WEST TO
EUROPE STRIKES NORTH AMERICA, AFRICA AND MAJOR PACIFIC
RIM COUNTRIES
THE LAST CENTURY : FIVE MAJOR WAVESEMERGENCE OF HUMAN
INFLUENZA STRAINS
1918 1957 1968 1977 1997 2003
H1
H1H3
H2
H5,7,9
SpanishInfluenza
AsianInfluenza
RussianInfluenza
AvianInfluenzas
Hong KongInfluenza
“Swine Flu”
2009
Novel H1N1
WEAPONISATION ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER AGENTS
OCCUR NATURALLY – EPIDEMIC HAS MORE TIME TO SPREAD BEFORE CREATING A MAJOR HEALTH RESPONSEPOSTEXPOSURE IMMUNISATION IS INEFFECTIVE, AS INCUBATION PERIOD IS SHORTHARDER TO ERADICATE AS IT HAS ANIMAL AND AVIAN RESERVOIRS
DISAVANTAGE : LOW LETHALITY
BUT , HAS MORE THAN 50% FATALITY RATE – AN ENGINEERED VERSION COULD BE AS DEADLY AS SMALLPOXIF CULTURED NOT ENGINEERED, COULD BE AN EFFECTIVE LOCAL, NON-CONTAGIOUS WEAPON AS ANTHRAX
STEP TOWARDS SAFETY :
BIOSAFETY, BIOSECURITY &
BIODEFENSE
BIOSAFETY
PREVENTION OF LARGE-SCALE LOSS OF BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
FOCUSES ON ECOLOGY AND HUMAN HEALTH
BIOSECURITY REDUCTION OF
TRANSMISSION OF INFECTION DISEASES IN CROPS, LIVESTOCK, QUARANTINED PESTS, INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES, TRANSGENIC SPECIES
SINCE 1990S, ENCOMPASSES PREVENTION OF INTENTIONAL REMOVAL OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS FROM LABS
BIODEFENSESHORT TERM, LOCAL , USUALLY MILITARY MEASURES
RESTORE BIOSECURITY TO A GIVEN GROUP OF PERSON WHO ARE , OR, MAY BE SUBJECT TO BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO ANIMALS AND PLANTS
BIOWEAPONS RESEARCH
BIODEFENSE RESEARCH IS GOING IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES
VACCINES, TREATMENTS, ANTIDOTES
PROBLEM : NARROW LINE BETWEEN OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE RESEARCH
THE THREAT IS REAL, ABOUT TO GET WORSE.
TIME TO CONCERN.. BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.