Question

Explain the following thoroughly, minimum of 250 words.

1. Explain what a biological weapon is (in the context of Microbiology)?

2. What features make some bacteria suitable for use as a biological weapon

3. You have been asked to head a counter-bioterrorism unit in the Government. What measures would you propose to prevent and protect the country in the event of a bioterrorism attack?

Outside sources can be used, please cite.

Answer 1

Answers:

1.In Microbiology terms, Biological weapon also called germ weapon refers to those disease producing living organisms or agents like bacteria ,virus, fungi and other toxins that can be spread through air, water or land as weapons to destroy or kill vast areas of humans,animals and plants.

These weapons are employed in bioterrorism to attack nations as they are cheaper means of destroying ,but cause efficient damage to life. They are invisible,silent ,odourless tasteless but cause massive destruction to a nation.

Living biological weapons include microorganisms and pathogens like bacteria , virus, fungi, and infectious organisms.Non-living biological weapons include chemical weapons like toxins, radiological weapons like harmful radiations and nuclear waepons like Nuclear reactions that cause mass destructions.Once release these weapons spread to a vast area and become widespread pandemics difficult to control the disease effects .Ethically many countries have agreed to ban biological weapons as the results of bio-war are found to have its ill effects that continues generations after generation.

Wide range of biological weapons are available and are chosen based on their lethality, length of incubation,stability, infectious nature and current vaccines and medicines available for treating them. Some are,

Bacteria: single celled prokaryotes that causes diseases like anthrax, brucellosis,tularemia and plague

Rickettsiae:Intra-cellular parasites that resemble bacteria that reproduce inside cells.Rickettsia organisms causes diseases like Typhus ,Q fever etc.

Virus: Intracellular parasites that are 1/100 times smaller than bacteria causing Venezuelan equine encephalitis

Fungi: Pathogens to destroy crops that causes rice blast,cereal rust,wheat smut, potato blight

Animal or insect toxins: venoms from snakes, insects likes spiders, marine organisms, plants, bacteria, fungi and animals.Eg.Ricin extracted from castor bean seed.

Citation: https://www.britannica.com/

2. Features that make bacteria suitable as biological weapon :

• Easy modes of dispersal/spreading to vast areas in less time.
• Ability to cause high mortality rates
• Potential to cause panic
• Requires special emergency procedures to treat or very costly or difficult to control or treat immediately.
• Difficult to detect ,diagnose or identify meanwhile it causes complete infection or death tolls.
• Cheap and cost effective.

Few examples of bacteria used as biological weapons are:

1. Bacillus anthracis causing Anthrax
2. Clostridium botulinum causing Botulism
3. Francisella tularensis subsp. Tularensis causing Valley fever
4. Yersinia pestis causing Plague

These bacteria are classified in Class A category of biological weapons are they cause mass destruction.

Citation:https://www.luminexcorp.com

3. Measures to prevent and protect country in bioterrorism attack:

• Check effective Biosafety Measures
• Inspection of Clinical laboratories for checking safety levels of biologocal organisms usage;
• Creating Awareness and campaign of ethical hazards caused by Biological weapons
• Bringing up research projects and financial aids for scientists working on pathogens to study and identify curative medicines
• Alerting militiary and civil forces on biosafety measures and monitoring other nations by secret agencies thereby providing high security .
• Providing training for laboratories workers or how to manage a biowar treat and about developing minimum standards of biosafety training

Citation: http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org