Which biological agents of terrorism can be treated effectively with antibiotics?

Which biological agents of terrorism can be treated effectively with antibiotics?

Current antibiotics are believed to be effective for anthrax, plague and tularemia, although long regimens may be required and relapses may occur; current antibiotics are relatively ineffective for melioidosis and glanders.

What are the types of biological warfare agents?

Agents/Diseases

• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Smallpox (variola major)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• Viral hemorrhagic fevers, including. Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) Arenaviruses (Lassa, Machupo)

  What is an example of bioterrorism?

  

  Anthrax gets the most news attention. However, other agents used in bioterrorism include botulism, plague, and smallpox. Some other agents have also been studied for use as biological weapons, such as tularemia, brucellosis, Q fever, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

  What is the primary agent of anthrax?

  Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can be found naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.

  What are the 3 bioterrorism threat levels?

  The biological weapons as per the CDC classification are classified into three categories, Category A, B and C, as given in Table 1, based on the priority of the agents to pose a risk to the national security and the ease with which they can be disseminated [7].

  Which countries have biological weapons?

  What Countries Have Them? Only 16 countries plus Taiwan have had or are currently suspected of having biological weapons programs: Canada, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Libya, North Korea, Russia, South Africa, Syria, the United Kingdom and the United States.

  Is Ebola a biological weapon?

  The requirement of containment facilities, infection control protocols, and extreme personal protection equipment to handle the virus and the infected patients is more likely to cause nosocomial and public infections. Therefore, Ebola is well suited as a bio-agent in modern bioterrorism.

  How can you protect yourself from bioterrorism?

  Wash yourself with soap and water and put on clean clothes. Contact authorities and seek medical assistance. You may be advised to stay away from others or even to quarantine. If your symptoms match those described and you are in the group considered at risk, immediately seek emergency medical attention.

  What does anthrax smell like?

  An immediate sign of such an epidemic might well be rotting meat. The smell is not just unpleasant: it may indicate that deadly anthrax spores have taken up residence within a decaying carcass.

  What are the two biggest bioterrorism threats?

  These agents are the second highest priority:

  • Brucellosis (Brucella species)
  • Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens.
  • Food safety threats (e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella)
  • Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
  • Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
  • Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)

  Does Russia have biological weapons?

  Last Updated: January, 2015. The Russian government asserts that it does not maintain a stockpile of biological weapons or engage in any illegal development or production activities.

  Which country has biological weapons?

  Could influenza virus be used a biological weapon?

  As a potential biological weapon, influenza has several advantages over smallpox, including ready accessibility, write Mohammad Madjid, MD, and three colleagues. The authors are affiliated with the University of Texas–Houston Health Center and two heart institutes in Houston.

  What is the earliest known use of a biological weapon?

  One of the first recorded uses of biological warfare occurred in 1347, when Mongol forces are reported to have catapulted plague-infested bodies over the walls into the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya, Ukraine), at that time a Genoese trade centre in the Crimean Peninsula.

  Who made anthrax?

  Discovery. Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, first identified the bacterium that caused the anthrax disease in 1875 in Wollstein (now part of Poland). His pioneering work in the late 19th century was one of the first demonstrations that diseases could be caused by microbes.

  Where is anthrax naturally found?

  Anthrax occurs naturally around the world in wild and domestic hoofed animals, especially cattle, sheep, goats, camels and antelopes. It can also occur in humans when they are exposed to the bacterium, usually through handling animals or animal hides.

  What are three types of bioterrorism diseases?

  Bioterrorism Diseases

  • Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
  • Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
  • Plague (Yersinia pestis)
  • Smallpox (variola major)
  • Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
  • Viral hemorrhagic fevers (filoviruses [e.g., Ebola, Marburg] and arenaviruses [e.g., Lassa, Machupo])

    Which country has used biological weapons?

    Does Canada have biological weapons?

    Canada does not have nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or relevant delivery systems, and is a member in good standing of all relevant nonproliferation treaties and regimes.