Bioterrorism Biological Agents of Warfare and Terrorism Bioterrorism

Bioterrorism Biological Agents of Warfare and Terrorism

Bioterrorism: • Use of bacteria, viruses or toxins against humans, animals or plants in an attempt to cause harm and to create fear • Mass production, stockpiling and use of biological weapons, was outlawed by the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Outline: • What is Bioterrorism? – Brief history – 2001 Bioterrorist anthrax attack • Identifying Bioterrorism • Bioterrorism Agents in Research – CDC categories • Agroterrorism • Are we ready? • Conclusions

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS / BIOTERRORISM • 590 BC: water supply tainted with toxic plant • 5 th BC: Spears and arrows tipped with poisons, snake venom, or animal feces • 14 th century Middle Ages: Plague corpses forced into enemy quarters • 1700 s: Smallpox to Indians? ? http: //www. nativeweb. org/pages/legal/amherst/34_40_305_fn. jpeg

Biosecurity Incidents: • 1984: Rajneeshee religious cult grew Salmonella typhimurium in their own lab (from ATCC) and put in a salad bar in Oregon. Hoping to prevent voters from voting so their candidate would win • 751 illnesses • 1995: Larry Harris, microbiologist, ordered 3 vials of Yersinia pestis (plague) from the American Type Culture Collection. 1998 arrested for anthrax. • 1995: Diane Thompson, Lab tech, removed Shigella dysenteriae Type 2 from the hospital’s collection and infected coworkers by sprinkling it on donuts. 12 illnesses 20 years in prison. • 2003: Professor Thomas Butler, 30 vials of Yersinia pestis missing from lab and were never recovered. 2 years in prison http: //news. bbc. co. uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/anthrax/biological. stm

4 Oregon Restaurants hit with salmonella Larry Harris- microbiologist obtained vials of Yersinia pestis

Anthrax 2001 • Anthrax victim –October 16 th 2001, postal worker 47 male • • Flu-like symptoms on October 16 th Day 5: Fainted in church, continued to work Day 6: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain drove to ER, and later released Day 7: Back to ER with nausea, vomiting, and lightheadedness – Suspected anthrax due to 2 other postal workers diagnosis and antibiotics administered – Diagnosis confirmed 24 hours later • 5 hours after admission irregular heart rate followed by cardiac arrest • Diagnosis: Chest X-ray and Gram + bacilli (blood culture after 11 hours) • 7 letters mailed, 22 cases, 11 inhalation, 30, 000 people were placed on antibiotics; 5 fatalities • Bruce Ivins- suspect (microbiologist)

Identifying a Bioterrorist Event

Epidemiology of a Bioterrorist Attack: • Similar to natural epidemic – Certain features should raise alarms and investigation Bioterrorist Attack 1. Lg # of cases at same time with same symptoms 2. Illness in humans and animals concurrently 3. Lg # of unexplained deaths (middle age) 4. Single case of uncommon organism 5. Unusual seasonal pattern 6. Illness fails to respond to usual treatment http: //aleksandreia. wordpress. com/2009/10/06/christ-stopped-at-e-coli/

Encounter w/Biological Weapon: • Modes of Transmittance: • Aerosilized: most feared (anthrax, smallpox)airborne • Food/water: botulism, diarrheal agents • Person to person: smallpox, influenza • Animal/Insect vectors: ebola, plague, lassa fever http: //faculty. vetmed. ucdavis. edu/faculty/bbchomel/WHO_Zoonoses/Spanish/tr. html http: //lightmeetsdark. files. wordpress. com/2010/11/disease. png http: //www. cidd. psu. edu/research/synopses/social-contact-network-disease-transmission/image_view_fullscreen

• *Of the 1461 diseases now recognized in humans, it is estimated that a full 60% are caused by multi-host pathogens that affect several species

Why biological weapons? "Advantages" of biological weapons: Relatively inexpensive Easier to conceal than conventional weapons Potential to cause widespread panic “Disadvantages” of biological weapons: Not easy to obtain May "backfire" on those using them Potentially traceable to original source by DNA typing U. S. purely from flight paths

Characteristics: • Ideal agent: – Accessibility – Durability – Infectiousness/mortality – Communicability – Mass production http: //www. aguntherphotography. com/usa/interesting-sights/titan-missile-air/hazmat-suits. html • CDC has developed categories of perceived threats to national security

CDC Categories: • Category A (ex. Anthrax , Botulism, Plague Smallpox) – Most dangerous, highest research priority • easily disseminated or transmitted person-person • High mortality • Potential for major health impact

CDC Categories: • Category B (Salmonella species, Ricin toxin, cholera) – Are moderately easy to disseminate – High morbidity and low mortality

CDC Categories: • Category C (Multidrug resistant pathogens, influenza) – Less of an immediate threat but may be genetically engineered (lethal, drug resistant) • Readily available • Easily produced and disseminated • Potential for high morbidity and mortality • Biosafety level (BSL) is the level of biocontainment precautions required (1 -4) • 4 is level working with most dangerous agents

Bioweapons Research • Important to understand how to: – Detect/diagnose – Treat/prevent (Vaccines) – Decontaminate – Provide the source for an outbreak? ? • Anthrax-laden needle, genetically altered microbe injected

Infectious Disease Research Centers

Agroterrorism: • Agroterrorism: " The intentional introduction of biological agents against the agricultural industries with the intent of producing fear, creating economic loses and undermining the stability of government ” • Perfect target? SART: state agricultural response team

Targets of Agroterrorism: • • • Animal/plants Trucks/RR Water supply Farm Workers Produce Grain Elevators Ships Restaurants Grocery Stores

What would be the effects of an agroterrorism attack? • One way is to cause direct disease and harm to the human population – Eating contaminated food • Second way is to wipe out a crop – Economic effect

Progress: • Smallpox: – Dryvax; MVA; antiviral drugs • Anthrax: – r. PA; antitoxins • Botulinum: – Vaccine; antitoxins • Ebola: – Effective in trials http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Dryvax. jpg

Conclusions • Threat horizon is broad and rapidly changing • Recognized pathogens may not be the only priority, as newly engineered non-pathogens can be engineered • Best defense will be to maintain a scientific edge http: //textbookofbacteriology. net/themicrobialworld/bactresanti. html June 6 th 2012: Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea: WHO Agrees It’s An Emergency

Anthrax Research Hela cells Anthrax Lethal Toxin ATP Anthrax Edema Toxin c. AMP ELISA