Use of plants in bio-terrorism
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USE OF PLANTS IN BIOTERRORISM
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Why plant toxins are used in Bioterrorism?
• Biotoxins of plant origin attract terrorists as they are:
_ Difficult to detect
_ Difficult to control
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• There are a huge variety of plant poisons and it is difficult to organize the myriad plant toxins in an understandable manner.
• Among known plant toxins, few of which may be worthy of special attention in context of bioterrorism.
1. Ricin 2. Abrin
3. Gelonin 4. Lectin
5. Curare 6. Modeccin
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Ricin
• Castor plant - Ricinus communis– From processing waste
• Castor beans for oil– Very stable– In several forms
• Powder, mist, pellet, dissolved
in water or weak acid– Irreversibly blocks protein synthesis– Potential medical uses
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Ricin
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History• World War I
– Considered for use as weapon by US
• 1978: London– Assassination of Bulgarian exile, Georgi Markov
• 1991: Minnesota– Patriot’s Council plot to kill US Marshal
• Iran-Iraq war– Reports of ricin use– Found in Al Qaeda caves in Afghanistan
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Transmission
• Three routes– Inhalation– Ingestion– Injection
• Person-to-person transmission does not occur.
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Signs and Symptoms
• Inhalation– Incubation less than 8 hours– Cough, weakness, fever, nausea, muscle aches,
chest pain and cyanosis– Pulmonary edema, 18-24 hours after inhalation– Severe respiratory distress– Death from hypoxemia, 36-72 hours
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Pulmonary edema
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• Ingestion– Least toxic form– Less toxic if castor
beans swallowed whole– Severe GI symptoms, 1-2 hours– Rapid heartbeat– Internal bleeding– Vascular collapse– Death occurs in 3 days or more
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• Injection– Local pain and necrosis at site of injection– Systemic signs similar to those of ingestion
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Treatment
• No treatment, vaccine or antisera currently available
• Avoid ricin exposure• Supportive care
– Dependent on route of exposure– Ventilator– Gastric lavage or cathartics
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Ricin as biological weapon
• Extreme ease of production• Widely available• Relatively high toxicity• Currently no treatment
– Supportive care only
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Abrin
• Jequirity pea - Abrus precatorius
_ Very stable
_ In several forms
_ Powder, mist, pellet, dissolved in water
_ Blocks protein synthesis
_ Potential medical use
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Abrus plant
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Toxicity
• Abrin works by
_ penetrating the cells of the body
_ inhibiting cell protein synthesis• The severity of the effects of abrin
poisoning vary on the means of exposure to the substance (whether inhaled, ingested, or injected).
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Transmission
• Three routes
_ Inhalation
_ Ingestion
_ Absorption
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Signs and Symptoms
• Inhalation– Respiratory distress, fever, cough, nausea, and
tightness in the chest. – Heavy sweating may follow as well as pulmonary
edema.– Skin might turn blue– Low blood pressure – Respiratory failure that ultimately lead to death
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Cyanosis
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• IngestionIf a person swallows a small amount:
_ Vomiting, diarrhea, hallucination, seizures and blood in the urine.
_ Severe dehydration followed by low blood pressure.
_ Within several days, the person’s liver, spleen and kidney might stop working, and the person will die.
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• Absorption In powder or mist form abrin can cause
_ Redness of skin and eyes
_ pain
• Death from abrin poisoning could take place within 36 to 72 hours of exposure.
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Treatment
• No treatment or antidote • Avoid abrin exposure• Getting the abrin off or out of body• Supportive care
_ Dependent on route of exposure
_ Flushing stomach with activated charcoal
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GELONIN
• Himalayan plant - Gelonium multiflorum
• Inhibits protein synthesis
_ by cleaving N-glycosidic bond of specific adenine.
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