How are bioterrorism agents categorized?

Bioterrorism agents can be separated into three 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.

What are the 6 category A biological agents?

Agents/Diseases

  • Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
  • Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
  • Plague (Yersinia pestis)
  • Smallpox (variola major)
  • Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
  • Viral hemorrhagic fevers, including. Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) Arenaviruses (Lassa, Machupo)

What is a Category A bioterrorism agent?

Included among them are the Category A agents – anthrax, dengue, Ebola, smallpox, and tularemia – as well as Category B and C agents such as chikungunya, influenza, and Zika.

What are 4 biological agents?

Biological agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, other microorganisms and their associated toxins. They have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild, allergic reactions to serious medical conditions—even death.

What are bioterrorism three biological agents?

What are the biological agents that can be utilized for bioterrorism?

Biologic agent Disease caused by the agent
Bacillus anthracis Anthrax
Clostridium botulinum toxin Botulism
Yersinia pestis Plague
Variola major Smallpox

What criteria does a biologic agent have to meet to a biological weapon?

Characteristics. Intrinsic features of biological agents which influence their potential for use as weapons include: infectivity; virulence; toxicity; pathogenicity; incubation period; transmissibility; lethality; and stability.

When was bioterrorism first used?

1347
One of the first recorded uses of biological warfare occurred in 1347, when Mongol forces are reported to have catapulted plague-infested bodies over the walls into the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya, Ukraine), at that time a Genoese trade centre in the Crimean Peninsula.