bioterrorism: history, advantages and weaponry

BIOTERRORISM

INTRODUCTION

Advances in DNA technology has led to its issue in the field of forensics. The use of DNA has recently found

strong acceptance as a means of identifying individuals: in legal cases such as identification of victims, in rape

cases and paternity testing; medical diagnostics; determining evolutionary relationships and genetic

diversity and relationships between different plant and animal species, and; forensic archaeology. DNA

identification of individuals, termed DNA profiling or DNA fingerprinting, uses the 0.1 - 1% difference in the DNA

content of humans to generate a unique identification tag, or fingerprint, for an individual. However, developments in

recombinant DNA techniques have brought with it the dangers of producing superbugs for use as biological

weapons.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson....

....the students should be able to have an idea on the history of biological warfare.

....to identify biological agents with potential as biological weapons.

WHAT IS BIOTERRORISM?

Bioterrorism is a type of warfare that makes use of biological agents (biological weapons) to inflict

harm to the enemy. Biological weapons use toxins or chemicals produced by microorganisms, plants

or animals. Infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans or fungi are intentionally used to inflict harm to others. These agents are invisible

and microscopic, yet, deadly.

BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE

Poisons from plants were used to contaminate drinking andbathing wells of enemies.

6TH CENTURY BC

To conquer South America, natives were given gifts and clothingladen with virus.

5TH CENTURY BC


Threw earthen pots with serpents to the enemies.

4TH CENTURY BC

Hurl plague-ridden dead over the walls of the city.

1346


Presented Native Americans with blankets and handkerchiefscontaminated with smallpox.

1763

Infecting ponds with carcasses of dead animals.

1860-1865


Alleged cholera organism spread in Italy by Germans.

1914-1917

Geneva protocol banned biological weapons and Japan refused toaccept the ban.

1925


A Japanese, a physician and an army officer began experiments on biological warfare and troops invade Manchuria with such

weapons.

1932

Field testing of biowarfare on Chinese soldiers and civilians,cholera, anthrax etc.

1936


Plague bacteria released in Chuhsien and Ninpo, Chinhua.

1940-1941

British experimented with anthrax off Scottish coast.

1941


US studies on the defense from biological warfare with camps inMaryland, Mississippi and later in Utah.

1941-1943

The US announced its involvement in biological weaponsresearch.

1946


Vietcongs used fecally contaminated spear traps during theVietnam War.

1960's

A virus and a rickettsiae production plant was constructed.

1964


US President Richard Milhous Nixon renounced biological warfareand limited the research to defense measures only.

1969-1970

Anti-biological warfare advocates.

1970-present


Iraqi authorities acknowledged that they had 100 botulinum toxins,50 anthrax. 16 aflatoxin bombs, 13 botulinum toxin, 10 anthrax,

and 2 aflatoxin Scud missile warheads, 122-mm rockets filledwith anthrax, botulinum and aflatoxin.

1995

17 COUNTRIES THAT ARE INSPECTED OF MANUFACTURING BIOLOGICAL

WEAPONS

Bulgaria Egypt IraqSouth Korea

Russia Taiwan China Cuba

India Iran IsraelNorth Korea

South Africa

Libya Laos Syria

Vietnam

BIOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT TERRORISTS

MAY USE

Anthrax Salmonella SmallpoxHemorrhagic

FeverTyphoid

E. ColiPneumonic

PlagueDiptheria Ricin Dengue Fever

Cobra VenomHaemophilus

influenzaeTuberculosis Aflatoxin Malaria

Bubonic Plague Yellow FeverBotulinum

ToxinTularemia Cholera

WHY USE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?

These are the characteristics of agents used as biological weapons:

Invisible and microscopic

Simple laboratory techniques are required for preparation of these agents and may not require sophisticated apparatus

Easy to multiply and maintain

Difficult to trace

Very deadly

DISADVANTAGES OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

Even though it is advantageous for them to use biological weapons, there are also disadvantages of using biological weapons.

These are the disadvantages of using biological weapons to those who are involved in preparing the agents:

High risk of worker being contaminated

Living organism may be destroyed when incorporated into bombs and missiles (by heat)

Problem of dispersal and attack, difficult to deploy

Requires confirmation that the strains are pathogenic or disease-causing

Problems of acquisition for highly-restricted microbes.

COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE

ANTHRAX

Anthrax usually affects livestock and is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The bacterium produces spores that make toxin which can be fatal to man and animals.

Several of the advantages of using anthrax as a biological weapon are that the tough spores survive delivery via bombs and they are relatively easy to obtain. Furthermore, anthrax is estimated to cause 95,000 deaths and 125,000 casualties.


ANTHRAX

B. anthracis is a rod-shaped Gram-positive spore-forming and non-motile facultative aerobe. The spores produced are invisible, colorless and tasteless; it takes less than a speck of dust to make a person ill. It is also highly resistant to heat, cold, radiation, dessication, and disinfectants. Spores need oxygen to sporulate and produce a polypeptide capsule (polyglutamic acid) which protects the bacterium from host defenses and phagocytosis.


ANTHRAX

There are three forms of anthrax, all of which are treatable with antibiotics:

Cutaneous anthrax - the bacterium enters a cut in the skin, resulting to skin sores with characteristic black center.

Intestinal anthrax - bacterium ingested from meat of infected animal causes inflammation of the intestines, vomiting of blood and severe diarrhea.

Inhalation anthrax - infects the lungs; cold or flu-like symptoms develop initially, with fatigue, low grade fever and dry cough, later developing into high fever and pneumonia.


SMALLPOX

Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the virus Variola. Considered to be an ancient killer, it has been eradicated through worldwide vaccination. Known stocks of virus exist in only two World Health Organization (WHO) laboratories but may be in the hands of terrorists. Signs and symptoms include high fever, tiny pus-filled blisters on the face, arms and legs. There is no proven treatment and the disease can kill within weeks, fatal in about 30% of cases. However, a vaccine is available which can lessen the severity of the disease.


PLAGUE

Also known as the "Black Death" in the Middle Ages, the pestilence spread across Asia and Europe and killed a third of the world's inhabitants at that time, about 20-30 million people. It is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium found in rats, squirrels and wild dogs. Antibiotics can be used to prevent it unlike before.


PLAGUE

There are three types of plague.

Bubonic plague - most common type of plague caused by biting of rats, squirrels and other rodents, which kills within 4-6 days.

Pneumonic plague - type of plague wherein the infection moves to the lungs.

Septicemic plague - type of plague wherein the bacterium grows in the blood. This type of plague is the most deadly.


BOTULISM

Botulism is a muscle paralyzing disease caused by the toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that can kill within 24 hours and can be obtained from improperly canned foods or fish. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, double vision and difficulty to swallow. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) keeps an antidote to botulinum toxin in storage; a penicillin treatment can also be used. An experimental vaccine exists but since the disease is too rare, immunization is not done.


TULAREMIA

Also known as "Rabbit Fever". It is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, it is acquired by coming in contact with blood or body fluids from infected animals such as rabbits and squirrels mostly, and from the bite of a fly or tick that carries blood of an infected animal or from contaminated food. It can be contacted by being inhaled. Tularemia causes fever, headache, chills, weakness, and ulcerated sore when bitten by the tick, resulting in enlarged and tender nodes. On the other hand, the disease can be obtained through contaminated water resulting to mouth and throat sores, vomiting and diarrhea; it can also affect lungs leading to pneumonia.


RICIN

Ricin is a poison derived from castor bean plants, the same beans used to make castor oil. Ingestion of poisoned food or contaminated water supply can cause intestinal bleeding and organ damage. It can be turned into an aerosol and can contaminate by inhalation causing severe respiratory problems and damaged lungs. No anti-ricin vaccine or antidote exists, possessing a serious threat as a biological weapon.

REVIEW YOUR NOTES FOR 5 MINUTES AND

AFTER REVIEWING, A SHORT 10-ITEM

QUIZ WILL BE GIVEN.

QUIZ

1. What is the common use of DNA in introduction?

2. What do you call the type of warfare that makes use of biological agents (biological weapons) to inflict harm to the enemy?

3. Give 3 biological weapons that terrorists could potentially use. (3 pts)

4. Anti-biological warfare advocates started in what year?

5. What are the 5 common biological agents in use? (5 pts)

QUIZ

6. Give 3 countries that were inspected of manufacturing biological agents. (3 pts)

7. Natives of South America were given gifts and clothings with virus in order to conquer the place. This was done in what century BC?

8. Cholera became rampant in Italy and the organism was spread by the Germans to defeat Italy. This was done in the year ______-______. (2 pts)

9. This biological agent is caused by the virus Variola. Blisters are one of the signs of having this disease.

10. In ____-____(1 pt), _________ had renounced biological warfare and the research was limited to defense measures only.

ANSWERS

ANSWERS

1. Identifying individuals in crimes

2. Bioterrorism/Biowarfare

3.

4. 1970

5. Annthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin

6.

7. 5th

8. 1914-1917

9. Smallpox

10. 1969-1970; Richard Milhous Nixon

GO TO TABLE

GO TO TABLE

ANSWERS



3.

4. 1970

5. Anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin

6.

7. 5th

8. 1914-1917

9. Smallpox


GO TO TABLE

GO TO TABLE

ANSWERS



3.

4. 1970

5. Annthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin

6.

7. 5th

8. 1914-1917

9. Smallpox


GO TO TABLE

GO TO TABLE

THANK YOU!

bioterrorism: history, advantages and weaponry

Education

biological warfareand

biological weaponsresearch

history of biological

bioterrorism timelinevietcongs

bioterrorism timelinepoisons

use of dna

dna fingerprinting

dna technology