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

http://www.cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=../news/anthrax/anthraxGIFS/englehart.jpg

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.