Even if we are spared destruction by war, our lives will have to change if we want to save life from self-destruction.

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Objectives
What is Biological Warfare? History of Biological Warfare The Microorganisms of Mass Destruction Prevention and Containment

Lab Exercise

What is Biological Warfare?

Biological warfare is the use of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, other disease-causing biological agents, or the exotoxins produced by them as weapons The objective is to use the biological agents to incapacitate or kill individuals or populations Although biological weapons are potentially useful to conventional military operations, the greatest likelihood of biological weapon use is acts of terrorism.

Characteristics of Biological Weapons

1. 2. Easy to produce and deliver Safe for use and transport by the offensive (delivering) individual Able to incapacitate or kill individuals under attack in a reproducible and consistent manner

3.

E120 Bomblet

Categories of Agents
Category A agents have a high potential for adverse public health impact and a serious potential for largescale dissemination and include anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola virus). Category B agents are moderately easy to disseminate and have low mortality rates. Includes food safety and water supply threats . Category C agents are pathogens that might be engineered for mass dissemination because they are easy to produce and have potential for high morbidity or mortality. Agents include Nipah virus, Hantavirus and multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MTB).

History
Almost as soon as humans figured out how to make arrows, they were dipping them in animal feces

Original Types
Deliberate poisoning of food and water with infectious material Use of microorganisms, toxins or animals, living or dead, in a weapon system Use of biologically inoculated fabrics to poison them.

History in Warfare
130 BC, The Roman Empire used animal carcasses to contaminate their enemies wells. In 1346, Tartar forces led by Khan Janibeg attacked the city of Kaffa, catapulting the plague-infected bodies of their own men over the citys walls. 18th century, Russian troops fighting Sweden resorted to catapulting plagued bodies over the city walls of Reval. In 1915, biological weapons were first tried on a large scale by Germany at Ypres, France.

Agents of Biological Warfare

Pathogenic bacteria or viruses are potentially useful for biological war Examples
Bacillus anthracis Yersinia pestis Brucella abortus

Clostridium botulinum

Micro Heavy Hitters: foodborne pathogens

Botulinum toxin
Clostridium botulinum Anerobic endospore forming rods

Salmonella
Salmonella typhimurium Gram-negative facultatively aerobic, motile rods

Food poisoning-exotoxin
Can be delivered to a population through drinking water

Found in sewage
Salmonellosis
May cause typhoid fever

Becomes diluted

Typhoid Mary

Anthrax
Bacillus anthracis The preferred agent 3 Types
Cutaneous anthrax Gastrointestinal anthrax Pulmonary anthrax Pulmonary anthrax-inhaled endospores or live bacteria, near 100% mortality rate

Weaponized anthrax are strains usually in endospore form that enhance dissemination and use as biological weapons Treated with broad spectrum antibiotics Early in September 2001, the Pentagon announced it was developing a deadly new form of anthrax, for defensive research.

SARS
The SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) originated in bats Zoonosis Relatively hardy, easily spread RNA virus
Person-to-person Contact with contaminated formites

SARS epidemic
Originated in China late 2002 By February 2003 had spread to 32 countries

SARS patients were quarantined Successful international effort to identify and control outbreak

Prevention
Heat Sterilization
High School Senior Discovers Ironing Deactivates Anthrax
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_425621.html

Containment
Quarantine Surveillance Drug Treatment

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Select Agent Program surveillance systems to monitor possession and use of agents Lab Response Network and Health Alert Network

Large scale production and distribution of vaccines

Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention

In 1972, 103 countries signed the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. Article I prohibits the development of biological and chemical weapons, as well as their use. Both Russia and Iraq are known to have developed biological weapons since the convention. Allows for research for defense purposes, such as vaccines, against biological weapons. Most recent update 2002 following 2001 US anthrax attacks As of June 2005, there are 171 signatories

Biological Weapons Convention

Lab Exercise
Station 1: Microscopy Station 2: Streak Plate Stations 3, 4 and 5: Heat Sterilization Station 5: Welcome to Epiville!
http://epiville.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/ Interactive Simulation of SARS outbreak