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Bioagents

The biological weapons agents that have been explored by state programs range from bacterium to viruses to toxins. We have little public information to indicate that terrorist groups have either an interest in or access to these agents. How the public might be completely defended against any or most of these diseases or toxins also remains uncertain. Detailed descriptions of the different agents can be found at: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Agentlist.asp

The following table, which shows different agents lists, is from the World Health Organization 2004 publication Public Health Response to Biological and Chemical Weapons: WHO Guidance. This publication is available on line at: http://www.who.int/csr/delibepidemics/biochemguide/en/

Table 1.1

Biological Agents Cited as Possible Weapons for Use Against Humans

Biological agent and WHO numeric code for the diseasea it can cause

United Nationsb

(1969)

WHOc

(1970)

BWCd

CBM-F

(1992)

Australia Groupe

(1992)

NATOf

(1996)

CDCg

category A

(2000)

BWCh draft Protocol (2001)

BACTERIA  (including RICKETTSIA and CHLAMYDIA)

              

Bacillus anthracis, A22 (anthrax)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bartonella quintana, A79.0 (trench fever)

      

X

      

Brucella species, A23 (brucellosis)

X

X

X

X

X

  

X

Burkholderia mallei, A24.0 (glanders)

X

X

X

X

    

X

Burkholderia pseudomallei, A24 (melioidosis)

X

X

X

X

X

  

X

Franciscella tularensis, A21 (tularaemia)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Salmonella typhi, A01.0 (typhoid fever)

X

X

  

X

X

    

Shigella species, A03 (shigellosis)

X

      

X

    

Vibrio cholerae, A00 (cholera)

X

X

  

X

X

    

Yersinia pestis, A20 (plague)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Coxiella burnetii, A78 (Q fever)

X

X

X

X

X

  

X

Orientia  tsutsugamushi, A75.3 (scrub typhus)

        

X

    

Rickettsia prowazekii, A75 (typhus fever)

X

X

X

X

X

  

X

Rickettsia rickettsii, A77.0 (Rocky Mountain spotted fever)

X

X

  

X

X

  

X

Chlamydia psittaci, A70 (psittacosis)

X

      

X

    
 

FUNGI

              

Coccidioides immitis, B38 (coccidioidomycosis)

X

X

    

X

    
 

VIRUSES

              

Hantaan/Korean haemorrhagic fever, etc, A98.5

 

X

  

X

X

    

Sin nombre, J12.8 

           

X

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, A98.0

  

X

  

X

X

  

X

Rift Valley fever, A92.4

 

X

  

X

X

  

X

Ebola virus disease, A98.3

      

X

X

X

X

Marburg virus disease, A98.4

  

X

  

X

  

X

X

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis, A87.2

      

X

      

Junin, A96.0 (Argentine haemorrhagic fever)

      

X

X

X

X

Machupo, A96.1 (Bolivian haemorrhagic fever)

      

X

X

  

X

Lassa fever, A96.2

      

X

X

X

X

Tick-borne encephalitis/Russian spring-summer encephalitis, A84.0/ A84

X

X

  

X

X

  

X

Dengue, A90/91 

X

X

  

X

X

    

Yellow fever, A95

X

X

  

X

X

  

X

Omsk haemorrhagic fever, A98.1

       

X

    

Japanese encephalitis, A83.0 

 

X

  

X

      

Western equine encephalomyelitis, A83.1

 

X

  

X

    

X

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis, A83.2 

X

X

  

X

X

  

X

Chikungunya, A92.0

X

X

  

X

X

    

O’nyong-nyong, A92.1

  

X

          

Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, A92.2

X

X

X

X

X

  

X

Variola major, B03 (smallpox)

X

X

  

X

X

X

X

Monkey pox, B04

     

X

    

X

White pox (a variant of variola virus)

      

X

      

Influenza, J10,11

X

X

    

X

    
               

PROTOZOA

              

Naeglaeria fowleri, B60.2 (naegleriasis)

            

X

Toxoplasma gondii, B58 (toxoplasmosis)

  

X

          

Schistosoma species, B65 (schistosomiasis)

  

X

          

Source: Public Health Response to Biological and Chemical Weapons: WHO Guidance, 2003

Notes
  1. Diseases are identified by the numeric code assigned by the WHO International Classification of Diseases, 10th ed.
  2. United Nations, Chemical and Bacteriological (Biological) Weapons and the Effects of Their Possible Use: Report of the Secretary-General (New York, 1969).
  3. World Health Organization, Health Aspects of Chemical and Biological Weapons: Report of a WHO Group of Consultants (Geneva, 1970).
  4. UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, compilation of declarations of information by BWC states parties in accordance with the extended confidence-building measures agreed at the Third Review Conference, DDA/4–92/BW3 plus Add. 1, Add. 2, and Add. 3, data from Section 2, Past Offensive Biological R&D Programs, of Form F as filed by Canada, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 1992.
  5. Australia Group document AG/Dec92/BW/Chair/30 dated June 1992.
  6. NATO Handbook on the Medical Aspects of NBC Defensive Operations, AmedP-6(B), Part II—Biological, 1996.
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Biological and Chemical Terrorism: Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response. Recommendations of the CDC Strategic Planning Workgroup, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 49, No. RR-4 (2000): 1–14.
  8. Ad Hoc Group of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition, Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, document BWC/AD HOC GROUP/56–2, at pp 465–466, which is in Annex A of the Chairman’s Composite Text for the BWC Protocol.

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