Bioterrorism Part III: What Microbes are Used and Why?

The categories are simple: they are categories A, B, and C. Microbes in category A are the most "dangerous and useful" to bioterrorists and are called High Priority agents. Microbes in category B are less "dangerous and useful" (Second Highest Priority agents) and microbes in category C (Third Highest Priority agents) are potentially "dangerous and useful" microbes for bioterrorists.

The criteria for placing a microbe in Category A are as follows:

1. They can easily be disseminated or transmitted person-to-person.
2. They can cause high mortality, with potential for major public health impact. Many of the infected will die (80-90 percent) and caring for the ill will have a drastic effect on health care resources.
3. Likely to cause cause public panic and social disruption.
4. Require special action for public health preparedness. Not the garden variety microbe but one that is rarely a problem for people in this world.

The microbes (agents) on the A list are the following:

1. Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)- a bacterium that has been sent to various people in the United States by who-knows-who (Sept. 11- Nov. 14, 2001).
2. Variola major (smallpox)- a virus. Not a good idea yet to start up vaccination to prevent this disease. The damage and death due to the vaccine can be quite high.
3. Francisella tularensis (tularemia)- a bacterium. Can get it from tick bites, black fly bites and handling rabbits ill with this bacterium.
4. Yersinia pestis (plague)- a bacterium. Can get it in the southwestern U.S. from fleas that have also fed on wild rodents infected with this bacterium.
5. Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism)- a protein from a bacterium that can cause paralysis of the muscles. This toxin prevents the muscles from contracting leaving a person really limp.
6. Viral hemorrhagic fever (include arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses, and flaviviruses)- many, many different viruses spread in many different ways. All of these viruses can cause a person to start bleeding out their mouth, nose and rectum.

The criteria for placing agents in Category B are:

1. Are moderately easy to disseminate. Not as easy to spread as Category A.
2. Cause moderate morbidity and low mortality. These agents aren't as deadly nor do they make people as ill.
3. Require specific enhancements of CDC's diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance. Once again, these are agents we don't normally work with on a daily basis.

The microbes (agents) on the B list are the following.

1. Coxiella burnetti (Q fever)- a bacterium that can spread in the area and can cause pneumonia.
The copyright of the article Bioterrorism Part III: What Microbes are Used and Why? in Microbiology is owned by Neal Rolfe Chamberlain. Permission to republish Bioterrorism Part III: What Microbes are Used and Why? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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