Biological weapon

A **biological weapon** is a weapon that delivers toxins or pathogens (like bacteria or viruses), with the goal of making people sick or killing them. Biological weapons are also called **bio-weapons**. Their use in war is called biological warfare.

## Parts of a biological weapon

A biological weapon usually has two parts. The first is the **biological agent** (also called a **bio-agent**, **biological threat agent**, or **biological warfare agent**). This is the pathogen that is meant to make people sick. The second is the delivery system - how the biological agent is going to get to and expose the people it is supposed to infect.

Some bio-agents can be "weaponized" - changed to make them more dangerous. For example, sometimes scientists can change a pathogen's genes so the pathogen is deadlier, and so it will not be killed by usual antidotes or treatments. Some bio-agents can be changed so they are easier to store, spread, or use as weapons.

As of 2016, there are more than 1,200 different kinds of bio-agents that could be made into weapons.

## Examples of biological agents

Examples of some biological agents and toxins are listed below. Experts have said that these pathogens could be used as biological weapons. A few already have been used, including anthrax, bubonic plague, smallpox, and ricin.

### Bacterial agents

|Pathogen|Disease|Comments|
| --- | --- | --- |
|_Bacillus anthraces_|Anthrax|Was weaponized by the U.S., Soviet Union, and Iraq<sup>p. 26</sup>|
|_Brucella_ species|Brucellosis|_Brucella suis_ was the first bio-agent weaponized by the U.S., in 1954; _Brucella_ species easily survive in aerosol form|
|_Yersinia pestis_|Bubonic or pneumonic plague|Killed 60% of Europe's population in the 1300s. Pneumonic plague is fatal if antibiotics are not given within 1 day after symptoms start<sup>p. 55</sup> Weaponized by U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War|
|_Vibrio cholerae_|Cholera|Could be spread by contaminating water supplies|
|_Shigella dysenteriae_; Some species of _Escherichia coli_ || Dysentery || Could be spread by contaminating food supplies<sup>p. 212</sup>|||
|_Coxiella burnetii_|Q fever|Number of bacteria needed to infect a person is one - the lowest known to man<sup>p. 67</sup> Can live on surfaces for 60 days, in aerosols, and in many temperatures Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969|
|_Francisella tularensis_|Tularemia|Very contagious; bacteria are very easy to get because they occur in nature; Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969|
|_Rickettsia prowazekii_|Typhus|High mortality rate if untreated; can be spread by aerosol<sup>p. 169</sup>|
|_Staphylococcus aureus_|Many|Could be spread by contaminating food supplies or by aerosol Some strains (like MRSA) are resistant to antibiotics|

### Viral agents

|Pathogen|Disease|Comments|
| --- | --- | --- |
|_Alphaviruses_|Many|Can cause many forms of viral encephalitis; very low dose needed for infection. Easily spread by aerosol.<sup>p. 96</sup>|
|_Filoviridae_ and _Arenaviridae_ viruses|Many|Cause viral hemorrhagic fevers, like Ebola virus and Lassa fever Can be spread by aerosol; very high mortality rates<sup>p. 107</sup>|
|_Variola major_|Smallpox|Very contagious, easily spread through air, mortality rate 20-40% Eradicated in 1970s, but laboratories still have samples|

### Biological toxins

|Toxin|Toxin Comes From:|Toxin Causes:|Comments|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Botulinum|_Clostridium botulinum_|Botulism|One of the deadliest toxins known to exist; Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969<sup>p. 122</sup>|
|Ricin|Castor oil plant|Ricin poisoning|Can be made at home; very toxic by any route of exposure|

## Examples of delivery systems

In the past, countries have designed many different delivery systems for exposing people to biological agents. These systems have included:
- Bombs, missiles, hand grenades, and rockets, with the biological agent inside
- Tanks that could spray bio-agents from airplanes, cars, trucks, and boats
- Aerosol sprayers
- Brushes to contaminate surfaces with bio-agents
- Ways of contaminating food and clothing

## Examples of biological weapons

A biological agent by itself is not enough to make a biological weapon. Neither is a delivery system by itself. A biological weapon has to have both: the bio-agent that is meant to make people sick, and a system to deliver that agent.

Here are a few examples of biological weapons that have been used throughout history.

|Year|Bio-Agent|Delivery System|Used By|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1346|_Yersinia pests_ (plague)|Corpses of bubonic plague victims|Tartar army to attack Crimea|
|1763|_Variola major_ (smallpox)|Blankets from smallpox victims|British soldiers to attack Native Americans|
|1940s|_Yersinia pests_ (plague)|Plague-infected ticks dropped from airplanes|Japan to attack China during World War II<sup>p. 56</sup>|
|1941|_Vibrio cholerae_ (cholera)|Contaminated food & water|Japan to attack China|
|2001|_Bacillus anthraces_ (anthrax)|Mailed letters|Terrorists to attack U.S. politicians and news stations|
|2013|Ricin|Mailed letters|Terrorists to attack U.S. President Obama and a U.S. Senator|

## Related pages

- Biological warfare
- 1925 Geneva Protocol
- 2001 anthrax attacks
- Terrorism
    - Bioterrorism
- Weapon of mass destruction

## Other websites

- Biological weapon -Citizendium