Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases: Student Name: Ayesha Andleeb
Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases: Student Name: Ayesha Andleeb
VUID: BC180200563
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-Category A
2-Category B
3-Category C
Category A:
Consist of High-priority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security
because they:
Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
Symptoms:
The symptoms of anthrax depend on the type of infection and can take anywhere from 1
day to more than 2 months to appear. All types of anthrax have the potential, if
untreated, to spread throughout the body and cause severe illness and even death.
Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves.
Symptoms : botulism usually start with weakness of the muscles that control the eyes,
face, mouth, and throat. This weakness may spread to the neck, arms, torso, and legs.
Botulism also can weaken the muscles involved in breathing, which can lead to difficulty
breathing and even death.
Plague (Yersinia pestis)
Smallpox (variola major)
Thousands of years ago, variola virus (smallpox virus) emerged and began
causing illness and deaths in human populations, with smallpox outbreaks
occurring from time to time. Thanks to the success of vaccination, the last natural
outbreak of smallpox in the United States occurred in 1949. In 1980, the World
Health Assembly declared smallpox eradicated (eliminated), and no cases of
naturally occurring smallpox have happened since.
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
Laboratory exposure
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) refer to a group of illnesses that are caused by
several distinct families of viruses. In general, the term “viral hemorrhagic fever” is
used to describe a severe multisystem syndrome (multisystem in that multiple organ
systems in the body are affected). Characteristically, the overall vascular system is
damaged, and the body’s ability to regulate itself is impaired. These symptoms are
often accompanied by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding is itself rarely
life-threatening. While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can cause relatively
mild illnesses, many of these viruses cause severe, life-threatening disease.
o Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg)
The virus particles are spherical and have an average diameter of 110-130
nanometers. All are enveloped in a lipid (fat) membrane. Viewed in cross-section,
they show grainy particles that are ribosome acquired from their host cells. It is
this characteristic that gave them their name, derived from the Latin “arena”,
which means “sandy”. Their genome, or genetic material, is composed of RNA
only, and while their replication strategy is not completely understood, we know
that new viral particles, called virions, are created by budding from the surface of
their hosts’ cells.
Category B:
Agents:
Brucellosis (Brucella species)
People can get the disease when they are in contact with infected animals or
animal products contaminated with the bacteria. Animals that are most commonly
infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs, among others.
Symptoms:
fever
sweats
malaise
anorexia
headache
pain in muscles, joint, and/or back
fatigue
Some signs and symptoms may persist for longer periods of time. Others may
never go away or reoccur.
CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a food borne
illness 128,000 are hospitalized and 3000 die.
Symptoms:
Common symptoms of food borne diseases are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and
diarrhea. However, symptoms may differ among the different types of foodborne
diseases. Symptoms can sometimes be severe and some foodborne illnesses can even
be life-threatening. Although anyone can get a food borne illness, some people are
more likely to develop one. Those groups include:
Pregnant women
Young children
Older adults
People with immune systems weakened from medical conditions, such as
diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, or from
receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
Most people with a food borne illness get better without medical treatment, but people
with severe symptoms should see their doctors.
Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
Symptoms:
The particular symptoms experienced, however, will vary depending on the type
of infection.
Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
Symptoms:
There are several types of melioidosis infection, each with their own set of symptoms.
However, it is important to note that melioidosis has a wide range of signs and
symptoms that can be mistaken for other diseases such as tuberculosis or more
common forms of pneumonia.
Localized Infection:
Pulmonary Infection:
Cough
Chest pain
High fever
Headache
Anorexia
Bloodstream Infection:
Fever
Headache
Respiratory distress
Abdominal discomfort
Joint pain
Disorientation
Disseminated Infection:
Fever
Weight loss
Stomach or chest pain
Muscle or joint pain
Headache
Seizures
Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)
Chlamydia psittaci is a type of bacteria that often infects birds. Less commonly, these
bacteria can infect people and cause a disease called psittacosis. Psittacosis causes a
wide range of symptoms, including fever, headache, and a dry cough. This illness can
also cause pneumonia (a lung infection) that may require treatment or care in a hospital.
Rarely, psittacosis can be deadly.
Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
Symptoms:
About 5 out of 10 people infected with Coxiella burnetii will get sick. Illness typically
develops 2-3 weeks after being exposed to the bacteria. Signs and symptoms of Q
fever may include:
Fever
Chills or sweats
Fatigue (tiredness)
Headache
Muscle aches
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Chest pain
Stomach pain
Weight loss
Non-productive cough
Symptoms can be mild or severe. People who develop severe disease may experience
infection of the lungs (pneumonia) or liver (hepatitis).
Women who are infected during pregnancy may be at risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-
term delivery, or low infant birth weight.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
About 25% of people and animals have Staph on their skin and in their nose. It
usually does not cause illness in healthy people, but Staph has the ability to
make toxins that can cause food poisoning.
Symptoms:
Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that are spread to
humans by fleas, lice, and chiggers. Typhus fevers include scrub typhus, murine
typhus, and epidemic typhus. Chiggers spread scrub typhus, fleas spread murine
typhus, and body lice spread epidemic typhus.
Symptoms:
The most common symptoms are fever, headaches, and sometimes rash.
While this parasite can be spread in several different ways, water (drinking water
and recreational water) is the most common way to spread the
parasite. Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of waterborne disease among
humans in the United States.
Symptoms:
Watery diarrhea
Stomach cramps or pain
Dehydration
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Weight loss
Category C:
Third highest priority agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for
mass dissemination in the future because of
availability;
ease of production and dissemination; and
potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact.
Agents:
During the Nipah virus disease outbreak in 1998-99, 265 patients were infected
with the virus. About 40% of those patients who entered hospitals with serious
nervous disease died from the illness.
Long-term sequelae following Nipah virus infection have been noted, including
persistent convulsions and personality changes.
Latent infections with subsequent reactivation of Nipah virus and death have also
been reported months and even years after exposure
Hantavirus:
Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantaviruses is at risk of HPS.
Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus
exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for HPS infection if exposed to the virus.
Early Symptoms
Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle
groups— thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders. These symptoms are universal.
There may also be headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems, such as
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. About half of all HPS patients
experience these symptoms.
Late Symptoms
Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear.
These include coughing and shortness of breath, with the sensation of, as one
survivor put it, a “…tight band around my chest and a pillow over my face” as the
lungs fill with fluid.