Anthrax as a type of biological weapon. Anthrax - biological weapon
EPIDEMIOLOGY
The main reservoir of the anthrax pathogen is soil. B. anthracis spores can persist in it for years, maintaining viability and pathogenic properties. During this time, they represent a potential source of infection for cattle, but at the same time, they do not pose an immediate risk for humans to develop the disease, even in regions with high soil contamination with this pathogen. This, in particular, is due to the formation of large aggregates of spores larger than 6 microns in size with soil components that are unable to penetrate the terminal sections of the respiratory tract, as well as a high minimum infectious dose of 8000-10000 spores. The spores enter the body of mainly herbivores, where they transform into vegetative forms that can cause disease.
The source of infection most often are domestic animals - cattle, sheep, goats, camels, pigs. A person can become infected when caring for infected animals, slaughtering livestock, processing meat and through contact with contaminated animal products (hides, leather, fur products, wool, bristles). Infection is predominantly occupational in nature. Spores penetrate the skin through microtraumas and abrasions, which leads to the development of the cutaneous form of the disease. When the pathogen enters through the nutritional route, for example, when consuming raw or insufficiently heat-treated meat from infected animals, an oropharyngeal or intestinal (gastrointestinal) form of anthrax occurs.
The infection can also be transmitted from animals to humans aerogenously, in particular by inhaling infected dust or bone meal, which is now extremely rare. In these cases, an inhalation form of anthrax occurs. According to the UK Public Health Laboratory Service, the possibility of person-to-person transmission through direct contact with lesions in a patient with cutaneous anthrax cannot be ruled out. At the same time, it is emphasized that no cases of transmission of infection from person to person by airborne means have yet been recorded.
AS A BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS AGENT
The use of anthrax spores as a biological weapon is due to the relative ease of obtaining large quantities of biological material, the possibility of its covert use, and high efficiency. The most likely way to use anthrax as a bacteriological weapon is to spray an aerosol containing viable spores of the pathogen. In this regard, among those affected, patients with the pulmonary form of the disease, accompanied by high mortality, will prevail.
According to official data, Great Britain, Japan, Iraq, Russia and the USA possess the causative agent of anthrax as a bacteriological weapon agent. However, according to experts, today at least 17 countries either already have ready-made biological weapons or are completing developments in this area.
WHO experts calculated that 3 days after applying 50 kg of pathogen spores over a two-kilometer zone in the direction of the wind towards a city with a population of 500,000 people, 125,000 (25%) would be affected, of which 95,000 (76%) would be fatal.
Infection of people with anthrax, associated with the inhalation route of entry of the pathogen into the body, is also described as a result of emergency situations in special laboratories involved in the development of biological weapons.
With the help of genetic engineering, it is possible to integrate genes encoding the synthesis of toxins in B. anthracis into the genome of other microorganisms of the genus Bacillus, for example B. cereus. At the same time, no effective vaccines have yet been developed that can protect against infection. Moreover, it is possible to select B. anthracis strains that are resistant to various antimicrobial drugs.
26.03.2013Plague, smallpox, anthrax are deadly biological agents that, working alone, may not kill you. The harmful properties they possess are a by-product of their evolution.
But what might happen when scientists start tinkering with the genetic makeup of these organisms? Unfortunately, the creation of such life forms is not just a page out of a science fiction novel - it is already happening.
In Greek and Roman mythology, a chimera is an organism that combines parts of a lion, goat and snake in one body. In modern genetic science, chimeric organisms are a life form that contains genes from a foreign species.
Despite the actions of their unpleasant namesake from mythology, in modern genetic science such organisms can be useful. One such chimera combines a common cold virus with polio and may help treat brain cancer.
Unfortunately, abuses in this area of science are also inevitable. Geneticists have already discovered ways to increase the lethality of biological weapons such as smallpox and anthrax by tweaking their genetic structure.
By combining genes, scientists could theoretically create a virus that causes two diseases at once. In the late 1980s, Project Chimera in the Soviet Union explored the possibility of combining smallpox and Ebola to create a single supervirus.
Other possible nightmare scenarios include strains of viruses that require specific triggers. For example, stealth viruses can remain dormant for long periods until they are called into action by given stimuli.
Viruses can adapt and mutate over time. Sometimes, due to close contact between people and animals, new strains arise. The human population continues to increase, so the emergence of new diseases and their epidemics is inevitable.
Information about the Nipah virus reached health care institutions in 1999 during another outbreak. At that time, 265 people were infected and 105 died in the Nipah region of Malaysia.
Scientists suspect that fruit bats could be carriers of the virus. The exact nature of the virus's transmission is uncertain, but experts believe the virus can be spread through close physical contact or through contaminated body fluids.
The illness usually lasts 6 to 10 days, causing symptoms that range from flu-like symptoms to fever and muscle pain to encephalitis.
In more severe cases, patients experienced drowsiness, disorientation, convulsions, and finally fell into a coma. The Nipah virus, along with a number of other emerging pathogens, is classified as a category C biological weapon.
Although no country is known to have explored its capabilities as a weapon.
During his invasion of Europe in the 13th century, Genghis Khan unknowingly introduced terrible biological weapons. The gray steppe cattle that were used to move the wagon trains brought the deadly rinderpest.
Rinderpest is caused by a virus closely related to measles and affects cattle and other ruminants such as goats, bison and giraffes.
The disease is highly contagious, causing fever, loss of appetite, dysentery and inflammation of the mucous membranes. The condition drags on for six to 10 days, when the animal usually dies from dehydration.
While Genghis Khan came into possession of such biological weapons by accident, many modern countries are not so innocent.
Canada and the United States are testing to use viruses as biological weapons to disrupt enemy countries' livestock production in the event of war.
4. Rice blast
A large number of bacteria, viruses and toxins pose a significant threat to humans, but many biological agents prefer another prey: crops.
Cutting off enemy food supplies is a time-tested military strategy, whether you are defending your homeland from invading enemy forces or laying siege to a fortified city. Without food, the population weakens, panics, riots and famine begin.
A number of countries, especially the United States and Russia, have devoted much research to plant diseases and even insects that eat key food crops.
The fact that modern agriculture tends to focus on large-scale production of a single crop only adds to the gratification of the architects of decline and famine.
One such bioweapon is a disease caused by the fungus Pyricularia ogurea (also known as Magnaporthe grisea). Thousands of grayish fungal spores develop on the leaves of affected plants.
These spores multiply quickly and spread from plant to plant, destroying plants and leading to reduced yields.
While breeding resistant plants is sometimes a good protective measure against some crop diseases, blast is a problem because the fungus that causes the disease has several hundred strains.
Take a deep breath. If you inhale botulinum toxin along with the air, then you have no chance of detecting it: it is colorless and odorless.
But after 12-36 hours, the first signs of botulism will begin to appear: blurred vision, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. And then your only hope for survival will be a serum against botulism toxin.
If left untreated, muscle paralysis sets in and eventually affects the respiratory system and the person dies within 24-72 hours.
For this reason, the deadly bacterial toxin is classified as a category “A” biological weapon. Because the toxin attacks nerve endings, it will take several months for the patient to recover.
Spores of the bacterium that causes the symptoms of botulism are distributed throughout the world and are found in both soils and marine sediments. The spores are often found in fruits, vegetables and seafood. In this state they are harmless.
But as soon as they begin to grow, the production of deadly toxins begins. People primarily encounter the toxin as a result of eating spoiled food, as temperatures and chemicals in improperly stored food often provide ideal conditions for spores to grow and develop.
Despite the fact that the mortality rate for tularemia is only five percent, this bacterium is considered one of the most contagious on Earth.
In 1941, 10,000 cases of the disease were recorded in the Soviet Union. The following year, during the German siege of Stalingrad, this number rose to 100,000 cases. Most of these occurred among Germans.
Former Soviet bioweapons researcher Ken Alibek argues that this surge in infection was no accident.
The bacterium Francisella tularensis occurs naturally in no more than 50 organisms and is especially common among rodents, rabbits and hares.
People usually contract the disease through contact with infected animals, bites from infected insects, consumption of contaminated food, or inhalation of aerosolized bacteria.
Symptoms usually appear within 3 to 5 days, depending on the method of infection. Patients may experience fever, chills, headache, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint pain, dry cough and progressive weakness.
If left untreated, respiratory failure may develop, followed by shock and death. The disease usually lasts no more than two weeks, but during this time infected people are mostly bedridden.
Tularemia is not spread from person to person and can be easily treated with antibiotics or prevented with a vaccine. However, it spreads quickly if the pathogen is sprayed as an aerosol. Therefore, in the rating of biological weapons, tularemia is classified as “F”.
The Black Death wiped out a quarter of Europe's population in the 14th century. Echoes of this horror continue to terrorize the world even today.
It's true today that some researchers believe that this world's first pandemic may actually have been caused by hemorrhagic fever, but the term "plague" continues to cling to another longtime suspect: the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis.
It is classified as a biological weapon "A". Plague exists in two main forms: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague is usually spread through the bites of infected fleas, but can also be transmitted from person to person through contact with infected body fluids.
This species is named because of the clinical appearance of swollen glands, or buboes, around the groin, armpits and neck. The swelling is accompanied by fever, chills, headache and fatigue. Symptoms appear within two or three days and usually last from one to six days.
Pneumonic plague is less common and is spread through the air by coughing, sneezing and face-to-face contact. Its symptoms include high fever, cough, bloody mucus and difficulty breathing.
In 1940, a plague epidemic occurred in China following a Japanese attack in which bags of infected fleas were thrown from airplanes.
These days, biological terrorists would probably prefer to spread the plague as an aerosol. Several countries have conducted research into using plague as a biological weapon, since the pathogen is still found in nature and is easy to find.
With appropriate treatment, the plague's mortality rate can be below 5 percent. There is no vaccine.
Another documented killer is the Ebola virus, one of more than a dozen different viral hemorrhagic fevers that cause profuse bleeding and high mortality.
The name "Ebola" began making headlines in the late 1970s after the virus killed entire villages in Zaire and Sudan. Since its discovery, at least seven outbreaks have occurred in hospitals and laboratories in Africa, Europe and the United States.
The Ebola virus was named after the region of Congo where it was first discovered. Infection with the virus occurs through direct contact with the blood or other secretions of a sick person.
Symptoms in an infected person may begin to appear in 2 to 21 days. Typical signs may include headache, muscle pain, sore throat and weakness, diarrhea and vomiting.
Some patients also suffer from excessive internal and external bleeding. After 7-16 days, 60 to 90% of affected people die.
Doctors still don't know why some patients are more likely to heal and recover than others.
They never learned to treat the disease. As noted earlier, there is no vaccine for Ebola. Scientists have invented a vaccine for only one form of hemorrhagic fever - yellow fever.
By the way, cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with slightly less mortality were recorded in Ukraine.
While many medical professionals are working to better treat and prevent Ebola outbreaks, a group of Soviet scientists tried to weaponize the virus. They initially had difficulty growing the Ebola virus in laboratories, having more success with Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
However, by the early 1990s, they had solved the problem and were able to spread the virus through the air in laboratory conditions.
The ability to spread the virus in the form of an aerosol and the high lethality of hemorrhagic fevers classify them as category “A” biological weapons.
Anthrax bacteria are classified as Category A biological weapons due to their high mortality rate and ability to persist in the external environment for a long time.
The bacteria live in soil where animals commonly graze and may come into contact with the spores by eating food plants. People, however, can also become infected with anthrax by touching, inhaling, or ingesting the spores. In most cases, anthrax occurs in the skin form.
The most dangerous form of anthrax is pulmonary, where the spores travel to the lungs and are then carried by immune system cells to the lymph nodes. Here, the spores multiply and release toxins that cause severe illness.
Inhalational anthrax has the highest mortality rate: 100 percent without treatment and 75 percent with treatment.
The disease is not spread from person to person, but health care workers, veterinarians and military personnel are routinely vaccinated.
Anthrax bacteria are extremely resilient and can survive in the external environment for about 40 years, posing a deadly threat. These properties have helped make anthrax a favorite among biological weapons programs around the world.
Japanese scientists conducted gruesome human experiments with anthrax spores in the late 1930s at their infamous Unit 731 complex in occupied Manchuria.
British troops experimented with anthrax in 1942, managing to contaminate the Greenard Island site so thoroughly that 280 tons of formaldehyde were needed to clean it up 44 years later.
In 1979, an accidental release of anthrax spores from a secret laboratory occurred in Sverdlovsk. As a result of infection, 66 people died.
The term "biological weapon" tends to conjure up mental images of sterile government laboratories, hazmat suits and test tubes full of brightly colored liquids of the apocalypse.
Historically, however, biological weapons have often taken much more mundane forms: wandering poor exiles, paper bags containing plague fleas, or, as in the French and Indian War of 1763, simple blankets.
By order of the commander of the British troops, blankets infected with smallpox were distributed to the Indian population of the Canadian province of Ottawa.
Native Americans were especially susceptible to the disease because, unlike European invaders, they had no immunity to the virus. The disease struck the Indian tribes like wildfire.
True, the honor of creating the first safe vaccine against smallpox also belongs to the British doctor Edward Jenner.
Smallpox is caused by the variola virus. The most common form of the disease has a mortality rate of 30 percent.
Signs of smallpox are: high fever, body aches, and a rash that later develops into fluid-filled blisters and scabs.
The disease primarily spreads through direct contact with the skin or body fluids of an infected person, but can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets in close quarters.
In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) led the effort to eradicate smallpox through mass vaccination. As a result, the last case of natural smallpox infection was recorded in 1977.
The disease has been virtually eradicated from nature, but laboratory specimens of the smallpox virus still exist. Both Russia and the United States have WHO-approved materials, but it is not known which other countries have worked with the smallpox virus to create bioweapons.
The smallpox virus is classified as a Category A biological weapon due to its high mortality rate and the fact that it can be transmitted through the air.
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Smallpox
The term "biological weapon" tends to conjure up mental images of sterile government laboratories, special uniforms and test tubes full of brightly colored liquids. Historically, however, biological weapons have taken much more mundane forms: paper bags full of plague-infected fleas, or even a simple blanket, as seen during the French and Indian War in 1763.
Smallpox is caused by the variola virus. In the most common forms of the disease, death occurs in 30 percent of cases. Signs of smallpox include high fever, body aches, and a rash that develops from fluid-filled sores. The disease primarily spreads through direct contact with the skin of an infected person or through body fluids, but can also spread through the air in close, confined environments.
Smallpox is classified as a Class A biological weapon due to its high mortality rate and because it can be transmitted through the air. Although a smallpox vaccine exists, generally only health care workers and military personnel are vaccinated, this means that the rest of the population is at potential risk if this type of biological weapon is used in practice. How can a virus be released? Probably in aerosol form, or even the old-fashioned way: sending an infected person directly to the target area.
Due to its high mortality rate and resistance to environmental changes, anthrax bacteria are also classified as a Class A biological weapon. The bacterium lives in soil, and animals that frequently graze on it usually come into contact with the bacterium's spores while searching for food. A person can become infected with anthrax by touching, inhaling or swallowing the spores.
In most cases, anthrax infection occurs through skin contact with the spores. The deadliest form of anthrax infection is inhalation, in which the spores enter the lungs and are then carried by immune system cells to the lymph nodes. There, the spores begin to multiply and release toxins, which lead to the development of problems such as fever, breathing problems, fatigue, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Those infected with inhalational anthrax have the highest mortality rate, and, unfortunately, all five victims of the 2001 letters contracted this form.
The disease is extremely difficult to catch under normal conditions, and it is not transmitted from person to person. However, healthcare workers, veterinarians and military personnel are routinely vaccinated. Along with the lack of widespread vaccination, "longevity" is another feature of anthrax. Many harmful biological bacteria can only survive under certain conditions and for a short period of time. However, the anthrax virus can sit on a shelf for 40 years and still pose a deadly threat.
Today, anthrax remains one of the best known and most dangerous types of biological weapons. Numerous biological weapons programs have worked to produce and perfect the anthrax virus over the years, and as long as a vaccine exists, mass vaccination will only become viable if a mass attack occurs.
Their action is not the same. One of the most dangerous types is biological weapons. It represents viruses, fungi and microbes, as well as animals infected with these viruses. The purpose of using this weapon is to defeat people, flora and fauna. Biological weapons also include a means of delivering them to their destination.
Weapons do not harm buildings, objects and materials of value. It affects and infects animals, people, water, vegetation, etc.
Biological weapons are divided into several types depending on the materials used.
The first type is the use of bacteria. These include plague, cholera and other infectious diseases.
The next type is viruses. Here the causative agents of smallpox, encephalitis, various types of fever and some other diseases are distinguished.
The third type is rickettsia. This includes the causative agents of certain types of fever, etc.
And the last one is fungi. They cause histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and some other diseases.
It is the presence of a certain type of pathogen that determines the type to which a biological weapon belongs.
Unlike other species or chemical), this species is a source of infection, entering the body even in minimal doses. Another feature of this weapon is its ability to spread. That is, there is a possibility of transmission of the disease from person to person and from animal to person.
It is also very resistant to destruction. Once in the soil or other external environment, it persists for a long time. Its effect can manifest itself after a certain period of time and cause an outbreak of infection.
The next feature that biological weapons of mass destruction have is their secrecy. The period from infection to the first signs of the disease can be asymptomatic, which leads to its spread. Diseases and infections can only be detected at the initial stage through laboratory testing. This is a very labor-intensive and lengthy process. And if we talk about countering biological weapons, then measures must be taken immediately.
To identify the fact of the use of this type of weapon, some features of its structure should be taken into account. Round fragments are usually found at the application sites. At the moment of rupture, a dull sound is heard. A clear sign is the formation of vapors and clouds that disappear very quickly. Drops of liquid or substances in powder form may also appear on the surface in the area of impact. A sign of the use of biological weapons is also a trace from a flying plane, the appearance of a large number of rodents or insects, which is not typical for a given time or area. Also, a consequence of its use is the mass death of animals and a large number of simultaneously sick people.
The usual method for spreading viruses and bacteria is through the respiratory system. In this case, aerosol agents are used. They settle on the surface of the skin, clothing, soil, plants and enter the human body through cuts or cuts. Animals and animal products can also be carriers. Biological weapons are the most dangerous type of weapon of mass destruction.
In this regard, humanity is developing means against its effects. Protection against biological weapons must be immediate to prevent their proliferation. Such agents include vaccine and serum. Infected animals, objects and food products are also subject to immediate destruction.
Experts recognize that the anthrax bacillus can serve as a biological weapon for both an individual terrorist and a group, moreover, with a higher probability than many other bacteria. But is this bacillus easy to grow? And is this weapon effective?
It turns out that the bacillus has not been studied enough - simply because the disease has become rare.
Everyone remembers the 1995 tragedy in the Tokyo subway, when terrorist fanatics resorted to deadly poison gas. What is less known is that the same group attempted to infect the population of Tokyo with anthrax at least eight times. I tried, but didn't succeed. No cases of the disease have been reported.
In contrast, an accidental leak of anthrax bacillus from a Soviet military laboratory in 1979 resulted in 79 cases, 68 of which were fatal.
So, it happens in different ways. Based on these examples, it is difficult to judge the destructive power of anthrax as a weapon.
Is it easy to grow bacillus?
It’s not very easy, but many countries can do it. In the 1990s, 17 countries were believed to have biological weapons or the means to make them. But alone or in groups, some experts believe, they may not be able to cope with this. Not only is the bacillus itself required for its cultivation in the laboratory, but also very complex equipment is required.
However, it cannot be ruled out that a group with the necessary connections will overcome these difficulties.Former Soviet biological weapons specialist Kenneth Alibek told us: “You hear that breeding the anthrax bacillus is a difficult task, but I believe that for a person who has mastered the principles of microbiology and biotechnology, it is not at all difficult...”
In addition, preparations with the bacillus can be stored for a long time without spoiling.
The most effective way to spread the bacillus is by spraying it into the air, so that potential victims inhale it and become ill with the most severe form of anthrax, pulmonary anthrax.
But this is not easy to achieve.
The terrorists who carried out the 9/11 atrocity in New York were reported to have been interested in agricultural spray planes, apparently exploring the possibility of distributing biological weapons, but experts believe the planes are not entirely unsuitable for the job.
What is the stopping power?
90% of patients die from pulmonary anthrax. The use of antibiotics at an early stage of the disease reduces mortality by up to 80%.
But the effectiveness of the canker as a weapon depends on the number of bacilli spread and the method of spread. It is reduced by the fact that this disease is not contagious.
According to the World Health Organization (1970), if 50 kg of anthrax bacillus were dispersed over a city with a population of 5 million, 250 thousand people would become ill.
According to another estimate (1993), 100 kg of bacilli scattered over Washington would kill from 130 thousand to three million people.
However, such a quantity of bacterial culture is not so easy to produce. In addition, the bacilli will remain in the air only for a certain time, determined by weather conditions, and then settle to the ground.
Whether they will be able to become deadly again if they are picked up by the wind along with dust is not known for certain. The Soviet disaster suggests that this is hardly possible. Almost no disinfection measures were taken there, and no subsequent cases of the disease were registered.
At the same time, complete disinfection of a vast area will, in the opinion of many, be an impossible task.
British experiments with biological weapons carried out on a Scottish island during the Second World War showed that the area remained contagious even decades later. And they cleaned it properly. From 1979 to 1987, 280 tons of formaldehyde were consumed on the island.