A Review on Bioterrorism and Biological Warfare
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Letters Research | Vol 3 Iss 2 A Review on Bioterrorism and Biological Warfare Karunasree P* Department of Financial Management, GITAM University, Visakhaptnam, India. *Corresponding author: Karunasree P, Department of Financial Management and Biotechnology, GITAM University, Visakhaptnam, India, Tel: +919985642255; E-mail: [email protected] Received: February 25, 2017; Accepted: March 27, 2017; Published: April 05, 2017 Abstract The exaggerated threat of act of terrorism, the chance displayed by numerous microorganisms as biological warfare has to be evaluated and also the historical development and use of biological microorganisms better understood. Warfare agents could also be less assailable than typical and chemical weapons. Throughout the past century, the progress created in biotechnology and biochemistry has simplified the process and development of such weapons. Additionally, biotechnology holds maybe the foremost dangerous threat. Simple production and also the broad handiness of biological agents Associated in developing technical knowhow have Led to an additional unfold of biological weapons and an exaggerated want among developing countries to possess them. This text explains the ideas of warfare and its state of development, its utilization, and also the makes an attempt to regulate its proliferation throughout history. The threat of biological terrorism is real and significant; it's neither within the realm of fantasy nor confined to our nation. Keywords: Bioterrorism, biological warfare, World War Historical Aspects of Bioterrorism Bioterrorism actually implies utilizing microorganisms or infected examples to bring about fear and frenzy in populaces. Bioterrorism had started in 14 centuries BC, when the Hittites sent contaminated rams to their foes. Military pioneers in the medieval times perceived that casualties of irresistible infections could progress toward becoming weapons themselves [1-9]. The underneath are the major authentic occasions of bioterrorism: 14th century BC The Hittites send rams tainted with tularaemia to their adversaries 4th century BC According to Herodotus, Scythian toxophilite taint their bolts by plunging them into decaying dead bodies 1155-Barbarossa harms water wells with human bodies, Tortona (Italy) [10-16] 1346-Mongols fling groups of torment casualties over the dividers of the assaulted city of Caffa (Crimea) 1422-Lithuanian armed force throws compost made of contaminated casualties into the town of Carolstein (Bohemia) 1495-Spanish blend wine with blood of disease patients to pitch to their French adversaries, Naples (Italy) 1650-Polish armed force fires spit from out of control canines towards their adversaries 1710-Russian armed force launch torment bodies over the Swedish troops in Reval (Estonia) 1763-British officers disseminate covers from smallpox healing facility to Native Americans Citation: Karunasree P A Review on Bioterrorism and Biological Warfare. Biochem Mol Biol Lett. 2017;3(2):113. © 2017 Trade Science Inc. 1 www.tsijournals.com | June-2017 1797-The Napoleonic armed forces surge the fields around Mantua (Italy), to upgrade the spread of intestinal sickness among the adversary [17-19]. 1863-Confederates offer garments from yellow fever and smallpox patients to Union troops amid the American Civil War [20-32]. Modern era The actually era of warfare starts with the inspiration of biological science at the top of the nineteenth century by Louis Pasteur, bacteriologist, and their followers. World War 1 and 2: Evidence has been made that nations concerned in warfare I, particularly Germany, however additionally France on a a lot of restricted scale, developed secret warfare programmes, like the infection of animal feed with Bacillus or Burkholderia mallei so as to infect the enemy [33-39]. Galvanized by the German use of gases throughout the globe War I, Japanese scientists subjected prisoners to completely different sorts of experimentation, together with operation, weapons tests, and biologic attack attacks[40]. Human subjects were inoculated with organisms inflicting Asiatic cholera, smallpox, botulism, plague, anthrax, tularaemia, and numerous genital diseases, and then left untreated, in order to study the various effects of the diseases [41-47]. The Nazis performed some research on the effects of various vaccinations and drugs on prisoners infected with Rickettsia prowazekii, hepatitis A virus, or Plasmodium species, but they apparently never considered using biological weapons during World War II [48-54]. Japan conducted biological weapons research from approximately 1932 until the end of World War II. Extensive; official information suppressed by a treaty with USA in which all charges for war crimes were dropped for exchange of information from experiments [55-69]. Chemical herbicides, anthrax (started too late to be important). The cold war era: The Korean and Vietnam wars, the Afghanistan invasion, and the Kampuchea dictatorship [70-81]. However, they were never witnessed, nor were samples of the alleged products used found. They are now regarded as resulting from the ferocious propaganda arising from both sides. 1972 “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and warehousing of medical specialty (Biological) and poison Weapons and on Their Destruction,” called the BWC, was developed by the North American nation, kingdom and Soviet governments [82-93]. The case of the ‘anthrax letters’ within the aftermath of the World Trade Centre attack of nine Gregorian calendar month 2001 in the big apple represents one in every of the most recent samples of act of terrorism [94-105]. Nature published a map which shows the level of probability that certain areas would become immediately infected by bioterrorism (FIG. 1.). FIG. 1. Map showing the level of probability in the world that would become immediately infected by bioterrorism. (Source: Nature) 2 www.tsijournals.com | June-2017 Effects on countries economy Millions of dollars have been spent improving the public health system's bioterrorism response capabilities [106-118]. The choice of the bio warfare agent depends on the economic, technical, and monetary capabilities of the state or organization. The economic impact of a bioterrorist attack will vary from associate degree calculable $477.7 million per 100,000 persons exposed (Brucellosis scenario) to $26.2 billion per 100,000 persons exposed. These are minimum estimates. Some worldwide strategies to curb Bioterrorism: Worldwide terrorism goes up and down depending on our actions and the actions of others [119-131]. Yasser Arafat’s renunciation of terrorism in 1989 resulted in a sharp decline in terrorist acts by the PLO. When dissension broke out in the ranks of Abu Nidal, its operations declined [132-150]. After the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, the Afghan Government curtailed its terrorist campaign against Pakistan. When the United States takes an active role in peace negotiations between Israel and the PLO, or when they step back, terrorism in the Middle East goes down or up accordingly [151]. Conclusion The more advanced biotechnology mostly facilitates the invention, creation and synthesis of bioterror weapons at comparatively low price. It will play a major role within the reinforcement of pathogenicity, virulence, antibiotic resistance of the disease causing organisms, within the sweetening of aerosol spreading of the microbes and toxins and within the construction of recent and really harmful living organisms and toxins. The genetic modification may result in new mutants, that are resistant to medications, hardly placeable, persistent and synthesise toxins in giant amounts. Summarily, the genetic modification and alternative fashionable biotechnology procedures will produce a replacement generation of bioterror weapons. REFERENCE 1. Kwak ML. Helminths as Weapons of Bioterrorism: an Unrecognised Threat. J Bioterror Biodef. 2016;7:148. 2. Vikneswaran M. Bioterrorism Preparedness for Malaysian Environment. J Def Manag. 2015;6:138. 3. Amura PK, Marneedi S. Bio aerosols and its Relation with Bioterrorism. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2015;4:1. 4. Wiwanitkit V. New Atypical Influenza: Possible Trend for Bioterrorism. J Bioterror Biodef 2015;6:e119. 5. Wiwanitkit V. Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Can it be the Case of Bioterrorism. J Bioterr Biodef. 2015;S14:e101. 6. St Louis BW. Food Bioterrorism. J Bioterror Biodef. 2015;6: 133. 7. Nikkhah A. Untimely Intake a Postmodern Public Health Bioterrorism. J Bioterror Biodef. 2015;7:e118. 8. Gaur K, Iyer K, Pola S, et al. The Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin as a Bioterrorism Weapon. J Microb Biochem Technol. 2014;S8:009. 9. Madad SS. Bioterrorism: An Emerging Global Health Threat. J Bioterror Biodef 2014;5:129. 10. Wiwanitkit V. Emerging Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism. J Bioterror Biodef. 2014;5:e111. 11. Khalil AT, Shinwari ZK. Threats of Agricultural Bioterrorism to an Agro Dependent Economy; What Should be Done?. J Bioterror Biodef. 2014;5:127. 12. Burgis NE. Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense: Past, Present and Future. J Bioterror Biodef. 2014;5:e110. 3 www.tsijournals.com | June-2017 13. Olsen M. Teaching Bioterrorism Preparedness with Simulation - The Pneumonic Plague Example. J Clin Res Bioeth. 2014;5:164. 14. amico WD, Mugavero R. Bioterrorism and Public Health Service: Defining Management and Treatment Systems. Biosafety. 2013;2:110. 15. Hust JA, Burgis NE. Current Trends in Bioterrorism and Biodefense. J Bioterr Biodef.