Biological weapon

A biological weapon is a weapon that delivers toxins or pathogens (like bacteria or viruses), with the goal of making people sick or killing them.[1][2] Biological weapons are also called bio-weapons. Their use in war is called biological warfare.

Parts of a biological weapon

A biological weapon usually has two parts.[2] The first is the biological agent (also called a bio-agent, biological threat agent, or biological warfare agent). This is the pathogen that is meant to make people sick. The second is the delivery system - how the biological agent is going to get to and expose the people it is supposed to infect.

Some bio-agents can be "weaponized" - changed to make them more dangerous. For example, sometimes scientists can change a pathogen's genes so the pathogen is deadlier, and so it will not be killed by usual antidotes or treatments. Some bio-agents can be changed so they are easier to store, spread, or use as weapons.[3]

As of 2016, there are more than 1,200 different kinds of bio-agents that could be made into weapons.[4]

Examples of biological agents

Examples of some biological agents and toxins are listed below. Experts have said that these pathogens could be used as biological weapons.[2][5][6][7] A few already have been used, including anthrax, bubonic plague, smallpox, and ricin.

Bacterial agents

Pathogen Disease Comments
Bacillus anthraces Anthrax Was weaponized by the U.S., Soviet Union, and Iraq[6]p. 26
Brucella species Brucellosis Brucella suis was the first bio-agent weaponized by the U.S., in 1954;
Brucella species easily survive in aerosol form[6]
Yersinia pestis Bubonic or pneumonic plague Killed 60% of Europe's population in the 1300s.[8]
Pneumonic plague is fatal if antibiotics are not given within 1 day after symptoms start[6]p. 55
Weaponized by U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War[8]
Vibrio cholerae Cholera Could be spread by contaminating water supplies[9]
Shigella dysenteriae;
Some species of Escherichia coli		 Dysentery Could be spread by contaminating food supplies[10]p. 212
Coxiella burnetii Q fever Number of bacteria needed to infect a person is one - the lowest known to man[6]p. 67
Can live on surfaces for 60 days, in aerosols, and in many temperatures[11]
Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969[6]
Francisella tularensis Tularemia Very contagious; bacteria are very easy to get because they occur in nature;
Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969[6]
Rickettsia prowazekii Typhus High mortality rate if untreated; can be spread by aerosol[10]p. 169
Staphylococcus aureus Many Could be spread by contaminating food supplies or by aerosol[12]
Some strains (like MRSA) are resistant to antibiotics[13]

Viral agents

Pathogen Disease Comments
Alphaviruses Many Can cause many forms of viral encephalitis; very low dose needed
for infection. Easily spread by aerosol.[6]p. 96
Filoviridae and Arenaviridae viruses Many Cause viral hemorrhagic fevers, like Ebola virus and Lassa fever
Can be spread by aerosol; very high mortality rates[6]p. 107
Variola major Smallpox Very contagious, easily spread through air, mortality rate 20-40%
Eradicated in 1970s, but laboratories still have samples[14]

Biological toxins

Toxin Toxin Comes From: Toxin Causes: Comments
Botulinum Clostridium botulinum Botulism One of the deadliest toxins known to exist;
Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969[6]p. 122
Ricin Castor oil plant Ricin poisoning Can be made at home; very toxic by any route of exposure[15]

Examples of delivery systems

In the past, countries have designed many different delivery systems for exposing people to biological agents. These systems have included:[2]

  • Bombs, missiles, hand grenades, and rockets, with the biological agent inside
  • Tanks that could spray bio-agents from airplanes, cars, trucks, and boats
  • Aerosol sprayers
  • Brushes to contaminate surfaces with bio-agents
  • Ways of contaminating food and clothing

Examples of biological weapons

A biological agent by itself is not enough to make a biological weapon. Neither is a delivery system by itself. A biological weapon has to have both: the bio-agent that is meant to make people sick, and a system to deliver that agent.[2]

Here are a few examples of biological weapons that have been used throughout history.

Year Bio-Agent Delivery System Used By
1346 Yersinia pests (plague) Corpses of bubonic plague victims Tartar army to attack Crimea[1]
1763 Variola major (smallpox) Blankets from smallpox victims British soldiers to attack Native Americans[1]
1940s Yersinia pests (plague) Plague-infected ticks dropped from airplanes Japan to attack China during World War II[6]p. 56
1941 Vibrio cholerae (cholera) Contaminated food & water Japan to attack China[9]
2001 Bacillus anthraces (anthrax) Mailed letters Terrorists to attack U.S. politicians and news stations[16]
2013 Ricin Mailed letters Terrorists to attack U.S. President Obama and a U.S. Senator[15]

Other websites

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Introduction to Biological Weapons". FAS.org. Federation of American Scientists. 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "What Are Biological and Toxin Weapons?". The United Nations Office at Geneva. The United Nations. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Biological Agents". United States Department of Labor: OSHA. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  4. ↑ Mistovich, Joseph J.; Karren, Keith J.; Hafen, Brent (July 18, 2013). Prehospital Emergency Care (10th ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0133369137.
  5. ↑ "Select Agents and Toxins List". Federal Select Agent Program. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 10, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Dembek, Zygmunt, F., ed. (September 2011). USAMRIID's Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook (PDF) (7th ed.). Fort Detrick, Maryland: U.S. Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases. ISBN 978-0-16-090015-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Frequently asked questions regarding the deliberate use of biological agents and chemicals as weapons". WHO.int. World Health Organization. 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Plague: History". Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 14, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Weintraub, Pamela (2002). Bio-Terrorism. Citadel Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0806523989.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lutwick, Larry I.; Lutwick, Suzanne M. (December 15, 2008). Beyond Anthrax: The Weaponization of Infectious Diseases. Springer Science and Business Media. ISBN 9781597453264.
  11. ↑ "CDC Q Fever - Emergency Preparedness and Response". 15 January 2019.
  12. ↑ Kelley, Patrick W., ed. (2003). Textbooks of Military Medicine: Military Preventive Medicine. Government Printing Office. p. 645. ISBN 978-0-1608-7311-9.
  13. ↑ "MRSA Infection". Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. September 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  14. ↑ Inglesby TV, Henderson DA, et al. 1999 (1999). "Consensus Statement: Smallpox as a Biological Weapon: Medical and Public Health Management". Journal of the American Medical Association. 281 (22). American Medical Association: 2127–2137. doi:10.1001/jama.281.22.2127. PMID 10367824.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Shea, Dana A; Gottron, Frank (April 17, 2013). Ricin: Technical Background and Potential Role in Terrorism (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved February 9, 2016.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "Amerithrax or Anthrax Investigation". FBI.gov. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved February 8, 2016.