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Microbes in biological warfare
- 1. MICROBES IN BIOLOGICAL WARFARE M.BLESSEDHEARTLEY ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE, TRICHY.
- 3. INTRODUCING MICROBES • Micro-organisms(or microbes for short) play a very important role in our lives. Some microbes cause disease but the majority are completely harmless. In fact we couldn’t live without them, but they could live without us. • These microscopic organisms play a key role in maintaining life on earth, fixing gases and breaking down dead plant and animal matter into simpler substances that are used at the beginning of the food chain. • Biotechnologists can also exploit the activities of microbes to benefit humans, such as in the production of medicines, enzymes and food. They are also used to breakdown sewage and other toxic wastes into safe matter.
- 4. WHAT ACTUALLY ISBW? • BIOLOGICAL WARFARE (BW) also known as GERM WARFARE is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.
- 5. BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS:- • Consistsof either living organisms that can reproduce, such as bacteria, or viruses, or toxic materials produced by living organisms, such as toxins or physiologically active proteins or peptides. • Viruses – Venezuelan Equine Enchephalitis (Very Lethal) • Bacteria – Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) • Toxins – Staphylococcal Enterotoxin and Botulinum Toxin
- 6. DELIVERY METHODS • Gasrelease and aerosol releases via airplanes, submarines, bombs, artillery and missiles • HCN missiles and central burster missiles • Poisoned arrows • Poisoned bullets • Poisoned hand grenades • Poisoned letters • Food delivery: food, coffee, water, creams, juice
- 7. Why to usebiological weapons instead of nuclear weapons?
- 8. BECAUSE…….. • Effective andCheap - 1 gram of botulinus intoxication can kill 10 million people. - Purified Botulism is 3 million times more potent than our best chemical weapon. - SCUD Missile filled with Bolulism Toxin would affect an area 16 times best chemical weapon.
- 9. • Cost Comparison •To Affect 1 Square Kilometer of Area - Conventional Weapons $2000 - Nuclear Weapons $ 800 - Chemical Weapons $ 600 - Biological Weapons $ 1 Biologics are the “Poor Man’s Atomic Bomb”
- 10. • Not EasilyDetectable • They cannot be detected by x-rays, dogs, and most devices, making them easy to transport. • Infected humans can serve as transport devices.
- 11. NAME OF SOMEAGENTS:- • Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) • Franciella tularensis (Tularemia) • Variola major (Smallpox) • Botulinum toxin (Botulism) • Yersinia pestis (Plague) • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
- 12. ANTHRAX • Anthrax isan acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals. There are effective vaccines against anthrax, and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic • Bacillus anthracis is an infectious agent of the anthrax.
- 13. In humans, threetypes of anthrax infection occur: Inhalational, cutaneous (skin), and gastrointestinal. I. Inhalation anthrax Inhalation anthrax follows inhalation of spore- bearing particles. Surviving spores are taken up by white cells in the lungs and transported to the lymph nodes in the spaces around the heart, where "germination" of the spores may occur up to 60 days later. The reasons for variation in germination time are not known.
- 14. II. Cutaneous anthrax Cutaneousanthrax follows the deposition of the bacteria or spores into the skin through cuts or abrasions or insects. Areas of exposed skin such as arms, hands, face and neck are the most frequently affected. After the spore germinates in the skin tissue, toxin production results in local swelling initially. Then small blisters appear and lead to the development of black scabs that dry and fall off in one to two weeks. Lymph nodes near the skin lesions can swell and get painful. Antibiotics do not change the course of the skin lesions, but they can prevent the disease from getting beyond the skin. Without antibiotics, the mortality rate has been reported to be as high as 20%; with antibiotics, death due to cutaneous anthrax is rare
- 15. III. Gastrointestinal anthrax Gastrointestinalanthrax occurs following deposition and subsequent germination of spores in the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. The former results in swelling and infection in the mouth or esophagus. The latter results in intestinal manifestation such as nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. If the disease becomes advanced, it can eventually resemble the end stages of the inhalation type. The mortality from treated intestinal anthrax is approximately 50%.
- 16. ANTHRAX LETTERS • Aletter containing anthrax was received by Tom Daschle, the leader of the United States Senate. • 23 members of his staff and 5 police officers tested positive with nasal swabs. • Citizens begin stockpiling Cipro.
- 17. • This isthe letter that was sent to NBC anchor Tom Brokaw with cutaneous anthrax and that infected Brokaw's assistant, Erin O'Connor. The envelope is postmarked September 18 from Trenton, N.J. The handwriting is identical to the one sent to the New York Post below postmarked on the same date and sent from the same place.
- 18. TULAREMIA • Francisella tularensis,the organism that causes tularemia, is one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known, requiring inoculation with or inhalation of as few as 10 organisms to cause disease. • F. tularensis is a hardy non-spore-forming organism capable of surviving for weeks at low temperatures in water, moist soil, hay, straw or decaying animal carcasses. • It is considered to be a dangerous potential biological weapon because of its extreme infectivity, ease of dissemination and substantial capacity to cause illness and death.
- 19. SYMPTOMS OF TULAREMIA Thebacteria’s point of entry determines the symptoms. * Symptoms of ulceroglandular tularemia (infection through the skin) include: • skin ulcer at the point of contact with the infected animal or at the site of a bite • swollen lymph nodes near the skin ulcer (most often in the armpit or groin) • headache • fever • chills • fatigue
- 20. * Symptoms ofglandular tularemia (infection through the skin) are similar to ulceroglandular symptoms but without a skin ulcer. * Symptoms of pneumonic tularemia (the most deadly form of this disease, which is transmitted through inhalation) include: • cough • chest pain • breathing difficulty • high fever • pneumonia (lung infection) • muscle pain
- 21. * Symptoms ofoculoglandular tularemia (infection through the eye) may include: • eye irritation • eye pain • eye swelling • discharge and/or redness of the eye • a sore on the inside of the eyelid • swollen lymph glands behind the ear
- 22. * Symptoms oforopharyngeal tularemia (infection through ingestion of the bacteria) include: • sore throat • ulcers in the mouth • swollen lymph glands in the neck • tonsillitis (swollen tonsils) • Vomiting • diarrhea
- 23. * Symptoms ofthe most rare form of this disease, typhoidal tularemia, include: • a very high fever • extreme fatigue • diarrhea • Vomiting Typhoidal tularemia can lead to pneumonia and an enlarged liver and spleen.
- 24. TREATMENT FOR TULAREMIA •Each case is treated according to its form and severity. Early diagnosis allows for immediate treatment with antibiotics. • Surgical intervention may be required to drain swollen lymph nodes or to cut away infected tissue from a skin ulcer. You may also be given medications for fever or headache symptoms.
- 25. SMALLPOX • The Britishconsidered using smallpox as a biological warfare agent during the French and Indian Wars (1754–63), against France and its Native American allies at the Siege of Fort Pitt. • On one occasion in June 1763, two blankets and a handkerchief that had been exposed to smallpox were given to representatives of the besieging Delawares with the aim of spreading the disease and ending the siege. • During World War II, scientists from the United Kingdom, United States and Japan were involved in research into producing a biological weapon from smallpox. • Plans of large scale production were never carried through as they considered that the weapon would not be very effective due to the wide-scale availability of a vaccine.
- 26. BOTULINUM TOXIN—BIOLOGICAL WEAPON •Botulinum toxin is the most poisonous substance known to man. Even a small amount is lethal. Bacteria in the Clostridium genus produce it. • As a weapon, the toxin might be released in the air or placed in the food supply. The toxin causes the disease botulism.
- 27. CAUSES • Botulinum toxinposes a great threat. It is easy to produce and transport. • Only one gram of the toxin evenly released and inhaled could kill one million people. However, it is hard to keep stable for release in the air. • Botulinum toxin is colorless and odorless. The toxin cannot be passed from one person to another.
- 28. SYMPTOMS • Double orblurred vision • Trouble swallowing • Difficulty speaking • Weakness in clenching jaw • Droopy eyelids • Loss of head control • Weakness, on both sides, starting at the head and working down the body • Constipation • Paralysis
- 29. TREATMENT • Early therapywith an antitoxin is essential to decrease resulting nerve damage. Treatment should start before test results are available. * Antitoxin If started early, an antitoxin can stop the paralysis from progressing and may shorten symptoms. It does not reverse the disease process.
- 30. METHODS TO ELIMINATETHE TOXIN * Methods to eliminate the toxin include: • Enemas • Suctioning of stomach contents
- 31. PLAGUE • It iscaused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which has been the cause of three great human pandemics in the sixth, 14th, and 20th centuries. • Throughout history, the oriental rat flea has been largely responsible for spreading bubonic plague. • After the flea bites an infected animal, the organisms can multiply inside the flea. • When an infected flea attempts to bite again, it vomits clotted blood and bacteria into the victim's bloodstream and passes the infection on to the next victim, whether small mammal (usually rodent) or human.
- 32. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMSSIGNS AND SYMPTOMS • People infected with plague may suddenly develop high a fever • painful lymph nodes and • Have bacteria in their blood. • Plague is contagious, and when the victim coughs, plague can spread. • Pneumonic plague is the most severe form of the disease and if untreated, most people die.
- 33. TREATMENT • Victims ofsuspected plague will be isolated for the first 48 hours after treatment begins. If pneumonic plague is present, isolation may last for four more days. • Since 1948, streptomycin has been the treatment of choice for plague but other antibiotics may be given. • Without treatment, 60% of people with bubonic plague die, and 100% with pneumonic and septicemic forms die.
- 34. VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS •The hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) are a diverse group of organisms that are all capable of causing clinical disease associated with fever and bleeding disorder, classically referred to as viral hemorhagic fever (VHF). • These organisms can be divided into 4 distinct families of viruses.
- 35. • Filoviridae: Ebolaand Marburg viruses; • Arenaviridae: Lassa fever virus and a group of viruses referred to as the New World arenaviruses (eg, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, and Sabia viruses); • Bunyaviridae: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Rift Valley fever virus, and a group of viruses known as the "agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome" (eg, Hantaan, Dobrava-Belgrade, Seoul, and Puumala viruses); and • Flaviviridae: dengue, yellow fever, Omsk hemorrhagic fever, and Kyasanur Forest disease viruses.
- 36. HFVs as BiologicalWeapons • Some HFVs are considered to be a significant threat for use as biological weapons due to their potential for causing widespread illness and death. • Because of their infectious properties, associated high rates of morbidity and mortality, and ease of person-to- person spread, Ebola, Marburg, Junin, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever viruses have been deemed to pose a particularly serious threat, and in 1999 the HFVs were classified as category A bioweapons agents by the CDC.
- 37. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS •Diagnosis of VHF is based on clinical presentation of symptoms and confirmed by laboratory testing. • Following an aerosol dissemination of any of the HFVs of concern, cases would likely appear within 2 to 21 days after exposure, depending on the specific virus involved. • Patients would present with fever, rash, body aches, headaches, and fatigue; internal and external bleeding could occur later.
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- 40. INSTEAD IT ISA PRIMITIVE WAR TECHNIQUE • ROMANS: used dead animals to foul enemy’s water. • TARTARS: catapulted dead bubonic plague victims. • BRITISH – FRENCH –INDIAN WAR: gifts of small pox infected blankets were provided by Britishers.