Bioterrorism Agents and Diseases….

Deadly Inorganic Agents

Bioterrorism agents and chemical warfare agents can be separated into categories, depending on how easily they can be spread and the severity of illness or death they cause. Category A agents are considered the highest risk and Category C agents are those that are considered emerging threats for disease.

Category A

These eleven (11)  are the most dangerous, high-priority agents/ organisms,  toxins or germs that pose the highest risk to the public and national security:

• Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)

• Francisella tularensis (tularemia)

• Brucella spp (brucellosis)

• Coxiella burnetii (Q-fever)

• Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

• Botulinum toxin (botulism)

• Staphylococcal enterotoxin

•  African Swine Fever

• Plague (Yersinia pestis)

• Smallpox (variola major)

• Viral hemorrhagic fevers (filoviruses [e.g., Ebola, Marburg] and arenaviruses [e.g., Lassa, Machupo])

Category B,  the second most dangerous and the second highest priority:

• Brucellosis (Brucella species)

• Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens

• Food safety threats (e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella)

• Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)

• Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)

• Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)

• Ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans)

• Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)

• Viral encephalitis (alphaviruses [e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis])

• Water safety threats (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum)

Category C

These third highest priority agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass spread in the future:

• Emerging infectious diseases such as Nipah virus and hantavirus

Chemicals

• Cyanide, … aka. Prussic Acid, … Zyclon A, ….Zyclon B,
  Mustard Gas, a Sulfur Compound

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Eight (8) Highly Toxic Chemicals:

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