Summary of Biological Agents
Most Likely to Be Used for Bioterrorism
ANTHRAX
CHOLERA
HEMORRHAGIC FEVER
SMALLPOX
TULAREMIA
ANTHRAX
Anthrax is a disease caused by the spores of
the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. These
spores are cells which have gone dormant and
formed a protective shell. As such, they are
fairly resistant to common environmental conditions.
Although anthrax is not known to be contagious
and transfer from person to person, it can be
distributed airborne. Inhaling anthrax spores
causes the inhalation type of disease. Symptoms
of this disease include:
- Cold and flu-like symptoms - sore throat,
fever, muscle aches
- Later symptoms include breathing difficulty,
muscle soreness and general chest discomfort
- Can take anywhere between
one to seven weeks to appear
Anthrax can be prevented with
a vaccine, but the vaccine is unfortunately
not generally available to the public. Therefore,
if you believe you have been infected with anthrax,
you should do the following:
- Call your health-care provider immediately.
Before symptoms begin, anthrax can be treated
with antibiotics. After symptoms begin
to show, a 60 day antibiotics treatment is
applied.
- Contact your local law enforcement agency and inform the agency of your suspicion.
Anthrax bacteria
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CHOLERA
Cholera is a diarrhea-like disease
caused by an intestine infection by the bacterium
Vibrio cholerae. Although mostly mild,
one in twenty cases will be accompanied by serious
symptoms. These include:
- profuse diarrhea
- vomiting
- leg cramps
- dehydration and shock due to rapid fluid
loss
The most common source of infection
is cholera-contaminated water or food. Cholera
can also be spread by infected persons. Fortunately,
cholera can be treated simply by sufficient
rehydration; antibiotics may also be applied
to shorten the course of the disease.
Furthermore, government agencies
such as the Environmental Protection Agency,
the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S
Agency for International Development are sponsoring
activities aimed at monitoring and containing
outbreaks of cholera.
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HEMORRHAGIC
FEVER
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) are usually transferred
from carriers such as infected rodents to humans
due to contact with urine, saliva or other body
secretions. Some of these viruses can also spread
from human to human; Ebola is a virus of this
type.
The symptoms of hemorrhagic
fevers are different for each type, but often
they include:
- fever
- exhaustion
- muscle aches
- bleeding under skin and from body orifices
(severe cases)
- nervous system malfunction
- delirium
- seizures
- kidney failure
There is no general cure for
hemorrhagic fevers. However, patients receive
supportive therapy during the course of the
disease. Also, some anti-viral drugs have been
proven successful in treating specific types
of VHF.
The most effective methods
of protecting yourself against infection by a
VHF include:
- keeping homes rodent-free and cleaning
up any nests and droppings
- avoiding close physical contact with infected
persons and their body fluids
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SMALLPOX
Smallpox is a contagious and sometimes
deadly disease against which there is no specific
treatment. The only form of prevention is
vaccination. The most common form of smallpox,
variola major smallpox, is accompanied by
a rash and high fever. The fatality rate of
this form is approximately 30%. However, the
flat and hemorrhagic form of variola major
are almost always fatal. Fortunately, they
are very rare.
The disease can spread through
exposure to body fluids or through prolonged
face to face contact; there are no known animal
carriers of this disease. An infected person
is most contagious once the rash has begun.
Smallpox progresses through
several stages:
- 2-4 days: Initial symptoms include fever,
head and body aches and vomiting. After
4 days, a rash in the form of small red
spots on the tongue and in the mouth appears. These
spots develop into sores which break and
release large amounts of the viruses. This
is the most contagious stage
- When the mouth sores break down, a skin
rash emerges. After three days, the rash
turns into raised bumps, which after another
two days turn into pustules - round, firm
and sharply raised bumps in the skin.
- Five days after pustules development,
pustules begin to crust and turn into scabs.
After another five days, those scabs begin
to fall of . Most scabs fall of three weeks
after the rash has appeared. It is important
to note that an infected person is
contagious
until all scabs have fallen off!
NOTE: Differences between smallpox
and chickenpox:
- Chickenpox lesions are superficial and
in different stages of development, whereas
smallpox lesions are all in the same stage
and are deep and firm.
- Chickenpox lesions are rarely toxic, while
smallpox lesions often are.
- Chickenpox lesions develop fast. On the
other hand, smallpox lesions develop slowly
over the period of two weeks.
- Chickenpox lesions rarely form on palms
and soles; the opposite is the case with
smallpox lesions.
Difference between smallpox
and chickenpox lesion distributions:
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TULAREMIA
Tularemia is a serious illness caused
by the bacterium Francisella tularensis,
most commonly found in rodents, rabbits and other
small animals. It can be spread through contaminated
food and water, by breathing in the bacteria
or through an insect bite. The common symptoms
of this disease include:
- sudden fever and chills
- headaches
- diarrhea
- muscle aches
- joint pain
- dry cough
- progressive weakness
- pneumonia and trouble breathing can accompany
a tularemia infection
If you believe you have
been infected with tularemia, contact your doctor
immediately. The common treatments involve antibiotics.
There is no FDA approved vaccine available in
the United States as of today.
Using insect repellent, frequent
washing of hands and cooking food thoroughly
are the easiest ways to prevent an infection.
Also, it is important to make sure that your
drinking water comes from a safe source.
Skin ulcer which formed due to a tularemia infection.
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