This presentation focuses on a short history of bioterrorism, description, its advantages and disadvantages and organisms incorporated into weapons are also shown here.

1. BIOTERRORISM

2. INTRODUCTION
Advances in DNA technology has led to its issue in the
field of forensics. The use of DNA has recently found
strong acceptance as a means of identifying individuals:
in legal cases such as identification of victims, in rape
cases and paternity testing; medical diagnostics;
determining evolutionary relationships and genetic
diversity and relationships between different plant and
animal species, and; forensic archaeology. DNA
identification of individuals, termed DNA profiling or DNA
fingerprinting, uses the 0.1 - 1% difference in the DNA
content of humans to generate a unique identification tag,
or fingerprint, for an individual. However, developments in
recombinant DNA techniques have brought with it the
dangers of producing superbugs for use as biological
weapons.

3. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson....
 ....the students should be able to have an idea on the history of
biological warfare.
 ....to identify biological agents with potential as biological
weapons.

4. WHAT IS BIOTERRORISM?
Bioterrorism is a type of warfare that makes use of
biological agents (biological weapons) to inflict
harm to the enemy. Biological weapons use toxins
or chemicals produced by microorganisms, plants
or animals. Infectious agents such as bacteria,
viruses, protozoans or fungi are intentionally used
to inflict harm to others. These agents are invisible
and microscopic, yet, deadly.

5. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Poisons from plants were used to contaminate drinking and
bathing wells of enemies.
6TH CENTURY BC
To conquer South America, natives were given gifts and clothing
laden with virus.
5TH CENTURY BC

6. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Threw earthen pots with serpents to the enemies.
4TH CENTURY BC
Hurl plague-ridden dead over the walls of the city.
1346

7. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Presented Native Americans with blankets and handkerchiefs
contaminated with smallpox.
1763
Infecting ponds with carcasses of dead animals.
1860-1865

8. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Alleged cholera organism spread in Italy by Germans.
1914-1917
Geneva protocol banned biological weapons and Japan refused to
accept the ban.
1925

9. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
A Japanese, a physician and an army officer began experiments
on biological warfare and troops invade Manchuria with such
weapons.
1932
Field testing of biowarfare on Chinese soldiers and civilians,
cholera, anthrax etc.
1936

10. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Plague bacteria released in Chuhsien and Ninpo, Chinhua.
1940-1941
British experimented with anthrax off Scottish coast.
1941

11. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
US studies on the defense from biological warfare with camps in
Maryland, Mississippi and later in Utah.
1941-1943
The US announced its involvement in biological weapons
research.
1946

12. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Vietcongs used fecally contaminated spear traps during the
Vietnam War.
1960's
A virus and a rickettsiae production plant was constructed.
1964

13. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
US President Richard Milhous Nixon renounced biological warfare
and limited the research to defense measures only.
1969-1970
Anti-biological warfare advocates.
1970-present

14. BIOTERRORISM TIMELINE
Iraqi authorities acknowledged that they had 100 botulinum toxins,
50 anthrax. 16 aflatoxin bombs, 13 botulinum toxin, 10 anthrax,
and 2 aflatoxin Scud missile warheads, 122-mm rockets filled
with anthrax, botulinum and aflatoxin.
1995

15. 17 COUNTRIES THAT ARE INSPECTED
OF MANUFACTURING BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS
Bulgaria Egypt Iraq
South
Korea
Russia Taiwan China Cuba
India Iran Israel
North
Korea
South
Africa
Libya Laos Syria
Vietnam

16. TERRORISTS
MAY USE
Anthrax Salmonella Smallpox
Hemorrhagic
Fever
Typhoid
E. Coli
Pneumonic
Plague
Diptheria Ricin Dengue Fever
Cobra Venom
Haemophilus
influenzae
Tuberculosis Aflatoxin Malaria
Bubonic Plague Yellow Fever
Botulinum
Toxin
Tularemia Cholera

17. WHY USE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?
These are the characteristics of agents used as biological
weapons:
 Invisible and microscopic
 Simple laboratory techniques are required for preparation of
these agents and may not require sophisticated apparatus
 Easy to multiply and maintain
 Difficult to trace
 Very deadly

18. DISADVANTAGES OF BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS
Even though it is advantageous for them to use biological
weapons, there are also disadvantages of using biological
weapons.
These are the disadvantages of using biological weapons to
those who are involved in preparing the agents:
 High risk of worker being contaminated
 Living organism may be destroyed when incorporated into
bombs and missiles (by heat)
 Problem of dispersal and attack, difficult to deploy
 Requires confirmation that the strains are pathogenic or
disease-causing
 Problems of acquisition for highly-restricted microbes.

19. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
ANTHRAX
Anthrax usually affects livestock and is caused
by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The
bacterium produces spores that make toxin
which can be fatal to man and animals.
Several of the advantages of using anthrax as a
biological weapon are that the tough spores
survive delivery via bombs and they are
relatively easy to obtain. Furthermore, anthrax
is estimated to cause 95,000 deaths and
125,000 casualties.

20. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
ANTHRAX
B. anthracis is a rod-shaped Gram-positive
spore-forming and non-motile facultative aerobe.
The spores produced are invisible, colorless and
tasteless; it takes less than a speck of dust to
make a person ill. It is also highly resistant to
heat, cold, radiation, dessication, and
disinfectants. Spores need oxygen to sporulate
and produce a polypeptide capsule
(polyglutamic acid) which protects the bacterium
from host defenses and phagocytosis.

21. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
ANTHRAX
There are three forms of anthrax, all of which are treatable with
antibiotics:
Cutaneous anthrax - the bacterium enters a cut in the skin,
resulting to skin sores with characteristic black center.
Intestinal anthrax - bacterium ingested from meat of infected
animal causes inflammation of the intestines, vomiting of blood
and severe diarrhea.
Inhalation anthrax - infects the lungs; cold or flu-like symptoms
develop initially, with fatigue, low grade fever and dry cough,
later developing into high fever and pneumonia.

23. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
SMALLPOX
Smallpox is a highly contagious viral disease caused
by the virus Variola. Considered to be an ancient
killer, it has been eradicated through worldwide
vaccination. Known stocks of virus exist in only two
World Health Organization (WHO) laboratories but
may be in the hands of terrorists. Signs and
symptoms include high fever, tiny pus-filled blisters
on the face, arms and legs. There is no proven
treatment and the disease can kill within weeks, fatal
in about 30% of cases. However, a vaccine is
available which can lessen the severity of the
disease.

25. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
PLAGUE
Also known as the "Black Death" in the
Middle Ages, the pestilence spread
across Asia and Europe and killed a
third of the world's inhabitants at that
time, about 20-30 million people. It is
caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium
found in rats, squirrels and wild dogs.
Antibiotics can be used to prevent it
unlike before.

26. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
PLAGUE
There are three types of plague.
Bubonic plague - most common type of plague
caused by biting of rats, squirrels and other rodents,
which kills within 4-6 days.
Pneumonic plague - type of plague wherein the
infection moves to the lungs.
Septicemic plague - type of plague wherein the
bacterium grows in the blood. This type of plague is
the most deadly.

28. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
BOTULISM
Botulism is a muscle paralyzing disease caused
by the toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium
botulinum that can kill within 24 hours and can
be obtained from improperly canned foods or
fish. Symptoms include abdominal cramps,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, double vision and
difficulty to swallow. The Center for Disease
Control (CDC) keeps an antidote to botulinum
toxin in storage; a penicillin treatment can also
be used. An experimental vaccine exists but
since the disease is too rare, immunization is not
done.

30. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
TULAREMIA
Also known as "Rabbit Fever". It is caused by the
bacterium Francisella tularensis, it is acquired by
coming in contact with blood or body fluids from
infected animals such as rabbits and squirrels
mostly, and from the bite of a fly or tick that carries
blood of an infected animal or from contaminated
food. It can be contacted by being inhaled. Tularemia
causes fever, headache, chills, weakness, and
ulcerated sore when bitten by the tick, resulting in
enlarged and tender nodes. On the other hand, the
disease can be obtained through contaminated water
resulting to mouth and throat sores, vomiting and
diarrhea; it can also affect lungs leading to
pneumonia.

32. COMMON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN USE
RICIN
Ricin is a poison derived from castor bean
plants, the same beans used to make
castor oil. Ingestion of poisoned food or
contaminated water supply can cause
intestinal bleeding and organ damage. It
can be turned into an aerosol and can
contaminate by inhalation causing severe
respiratory problems and damaged lungs.
No anti-ricin vaccine or antidote exists,
possessing a serious threat as a
biological weapon.

34. REVIEW YOUR
NOTES FOR 5
MINUTES AND
AFTER REVIEWING,
A SHORT 10-ITEM
QUIZ WILL BE GIVEN.

35. QUIZ
1. What is the common use of DNA in introduction?
2. What do you call the type of warfare that makes use of biological
agents (biological weapons) to inflict harm to the enemy?
3. Give 3 biological weapons that terrorists could potentially use.
(3 pts)
4. Anti-biological warfare advocates started in what year?
5. What are the 5 common biological agents in use? (5 pts)

36. QUIZ
6. Give 3 countries that were inspected of manufacturing biological
agents. (3 pts)
7. Natives of South America were given gifts and clothings with
virus in order to conquer the place. This was done in what
century BC?
8. Cholera became rampant in Italy and the organism was spread
by the Germans to defeat Italy. This was done in the year
______-______. (2 pts)
9. This biological agent is caused by the virus Variola. Blisters are
one of the signs of having this disease.
10. In ____-____(1 pt), _________ had renounced biological warfare
and the research was limited to defense measures only.

37. ANSWERS

38. ANSWERS
1. Identifying individuals in crimes
2. Bioterrorism/Biowarfare
3.
4. 1970
5. Annthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin
6.
7. 5th
8. 1914-1917
9. Smallpox
10. 1969-1970; Richard Milhous Nixon
GO TO TABLE
GO TO TABLE

39. ANSWERS
1. Identifying individuals in crimes
2. Bioterrorism/Biowarfare
3.
4. 1970
5. Anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin
6.
7. 5th
8. 1914-1917
9. Smallpox
10. 1969-1970; Richard Milhous Nixon
GO TO TABLE
GO TO TABLE

40. ANSWERS
1. Identifying individuals in crimes
2. Bioterrorism/Biowarfare
3.
4. 1970
5. Annthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, ricin
6.
7. 5th
8. 1914-1917
9. Smallpox
10. 1969-1970; Richard Milhous Nixon
GO TO TABLE
GO TO TABLE

41. THANK YOU!