Bioterrorism Flashcards
What was the purpose of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1972?
agreement among nations signed to assert the exclusion of bacteriological agents and toxins being used as weapons
(US, USSR and Iraq among the signers)
In 2000 which countries are considered to have active biological weapon programs?
Russia, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, China …
List characteristics of the ‘ideal’ BW agent.
highly infectious lethal or incapacitating no natural immunity difficult to treat or prevent easy and cheap to mass produce odorless and tasteless survives drying and aerolization contagious- secondary person to person spread
Name examples of BW that have been weaponized in the past.
anthrax smallpox Y. pests C. botulinum F. tularensis Hemorrhagic fever viruses: Ebola, Lassa, RVFV
consider targets of food production as well
The speed of small pox work _______ after world eradication and the discontinuation of vaccination.
accelerated
US and USSR only 2 international repositories
Strategies to prevent and better combat BT/BW?
national resolve and defense
strengthening of nat. state and local programs
**better networks for communication
trained primary care providers
condemnation of countries with offensive BW programs
ample stockpile of critical vaccines and research to create more effective vaccines/ biodetectors
How does anthrax cause bodily harm?
it causes tissue necrosis through receptor mediated endocytosis and translocation into the cytosol
What are the 3 manifestations of anthrax?
cutaneous anthrax: pruritic papule/ulcer, with edema in someone at risk, commonly with a central black eschar (painless), which is followed by shock and mediastinal inflammation
intestinal anthrax: ingestion of contaminated meats causes abdominal pain, peritonitis and shock
inhalation anthrax: common in those working with hides- causes a flu like syndrome that progresses to severe effusion; meningitis–> organism is picked up by macrophages and carried to lymph nodes
Treatment of anthrax?
cipro or doxycycline
cipro for prophylaxis
What are the clinical symptoms and treatment of smallpox?
fever, headache, cough and centrifugal macular, vesicular, pustular rash involving the palms and soles of the feet
*umbilicated rash develops EVERYWHERE
treat with supportive care +/- cidofovir or ribacvarin; decontaminate sick and those exposed
