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ABSTRACT The use of biological weapons has been around since before the siege of Kaffa in 1346 when the Tartars catapulted plague-infected bodies over the ramparts. The potential for terrorists to use biological agents against a civilian population has been well understood by security agencies for some time. However, until the tragic use of anthrax… Read more »
TULARAEMIAS CAUSED BY the intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis, a small, pleomorphic, aerobic, Gram-negative coccobacillus which requires a complex cysteine-containing growth medium for laboratory cultures. Capsules may form in tissues. The pathogen is not highly heat resistant but will survive freezing and drying. It survives well in the environment – especially in the cold with no… Read more »
INTRODUCTION THE PLAGUE, RECOGNISED BY MOST FROM its description as the Black Death, is alive and well today. It is an enzootic disease of peridomestic and wild rodents caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis. It is spread by the bite of the oriental rat flea Xenopsylla cheopsis. When the rodent population is reduced through death… Read more »
MANY MAY WONDER why a book on US military nuclear weapon safety has relevance to a health journal. The book’s first, chapter sets the scene with a generic discussion of accidents and organisational learning. This discussion is viewed from two opposing theories, High-Reliability Organisation theory and Normal Accident theory. In this day of quality assurance… Read more »
EBOLA AND MARBURG ARE HIGHLY LETHAL viral haemorrhagic fevers usually only seen in the wilds of Africa. In The Hot Zone, Richard Preston has detailed the recent outbreak of Ebola in a monkey facility in Reston, just outside Washington, DC. In sometimes overly graphic detail, Preston describes the resulting investigation and cleanup of the facility… Read more »
AETIOLOGY ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER (RMSF) is caused by the rickettsial pathogen Rickettsia rickettsii, an obligate, intracellular parasite. These microorganisms are very small (0.3m-0.5m). Extracellular R. rickettsii ceases metabolic activity and leak cellular components, losing infectivity within a short time. The organism possesses several virulence factors, including surface proteins, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) cell wall, and… Read more »
AETIOLOGY Q Fever is caused by the rickettsial pathogen Coxiella burnetii, a minute bacterium-like organism which may vary in size and shape. The smaller organisms will pass through microbial filters (pore size 2 11m). The pathogen is able to produce a highly resistant spore which enables it to remain stable in the environment and in… Read more »
ABSTRACT Ricin is a toxin of plant origin which causes fatal permeability-type (non-cardiogenic) pulmonary oedema on inhalation of the aerosol. Ricin is composed of two chains, linked by a disulfide bond. The B-chain acts to bind the toxin to cell membranes and assist in internalization of the A-chain, which inhibits protein synthesis by enzymatic action… Read more »
“BIOLOGICAL WARFARE HAS ALREADY BEGUN. In the former Soviet Union, the military has perfected smallpox, anthrax and plague as biological warheads on intercontinental missiles can reach London, New York and Los Angeles. There is no evidence the Russia has destroyed the technology. In South Africa and Zimbabwe, biological weapons have already been used to kill… Read more »
AETIOLOGY PLAGUE IS CAUSED BY the bacterium Yersinia pestis, a small Gram-negative, non-motile coccobacillus, which has a characteristics bipolar “safety-pin” appearance when stained. Although this organism is non-sporing, it may remain viable for weeks in sputum at room temperature, for 2 to 30 days in water, for two weeks in moist grain, or for months… Read more »
PHOSGENE IS USED IN industry widely and has potential use as a chemical weapon. In this paper, its chemistry, uses and effects will be reviewed. CHEMISTRY Phosgene (COCl2) was first synthesised by Davy in 1812 from carbon monoxide, chlorine and activated charcoal in the presence of sunlight. At room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure, phosgene… Read more »
ABSTRACT Phosgene is a toxic substance which causes fatal permeability-type (non-cardiogenic) pulmonary oedema on inhalation. Phosgene is a simple low-molecular-weight synthetic chemical which was used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I. Phosgene attacks the epithelial lining of the respiratory tract. This paper summarises the current state of knowledge about the actions of… Read more »
MELIOIDOSIS, AN INFECTION CAUSED BY the bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic tropical and subtropical areas. In humans, the disease is caused by ingestion or by contact with contaminated water through skin lessions. Clinical diagnosis of the disease is difficult because the symptoms are variable. Since the organism is resistant to a number of commonly used… Read more »
ABSTRACT Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Warfare remains as much a risk today as it has been in the past. With increased numbers of proliferating nations, increased industrialization and poorly effective arms control measures, this risk is unlikely to decrease in the foreseeable future. To prepare military physicians to deal with these toxic hazards, NBC… Read more »
VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE AT protecting not only individuals but also communities. In the last fifty years, global immunisation programs have developed such strong “herd immunity” that some diseases, e.g. smallpox and polio, have been effectively eliminated. Currently, in terms of commercially available vaccines, the traditional methods of vaccine development are still leading the attack against… Read more »
FROM 1998 TO 2000, the need for a civilian health response to chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) emergencies was identified and developed in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and beyond. The events of September 2001 have thrown this continuing need into relief and highlighted the significant work still required to improve the capabilities… Read more »
ABSTRACT THIS PAPER DESCRIBES the rationale for current work undertaken at the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre (CBRN DC) investigating the feasibility of pre-exposure approaches to counteracting the toxicity of the chemical warfare agent Sulphur mustard (HD). HD is a vesicant that causes severe, slow-healing lesions in skin, lungs and eyes. The work… Read more »
INTRODUCTION GAIL BELL, IN HER BOOK “THE POISON PRINCIPLE”, tries to establish why people use poison2. She looks back over the centuries, from Cleopatra and Socrates to more modern poisoners like Crippen, and speculates that, with advanced analytical technology, the heyday of poisons is over2. But is it? Contact poisons are those chemicals and toxins… Read more »
AETIOLOGY BRU CELLOSIS IS CAUSED BY organisms of the genus Brucella; particularly B. melitensis, B. suis and B. abortus. These organisms are small Gram-negative, aerobic, coccobacilli and are facultative intracellular parasites which grow within monocytes and macrophages. EPIDEMIOLOGY Brucellosis is primarily a disease of domestic animals, but humans may be infected through ingestion of animal… Read more »
WHAT CAN YOU SAY to those who say that you can “cook up” biological warfare agents in the kitchen and kill thousands? Try positioning this account of the nascent British program from before World War II alongside Ken Alibek’s account of the Soviet program (as told in Biohazard from Random House). What comes through such… Read more »
