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This articles in brief deals with the concept and different categories of bioterrorism. Food linked terrorism involves terrorism through intentional diffusion or dissemination of biological agents through various kinds of eatable food. Following consumption of such foods, mass casualty can occur. These agents typically contain bacteria, viruses, fungi, or toxins, and maybe these are naturally occurring or can be a human-modified form, in much the same way in biological warfare.

Biological warfare has been known (and applied to great effect) for thousand years. In recent years, with increased knowledge of microbiology, culturing techniques and means of dissemination, the threat has become most acute. Terrorists target food that are commonly eaten uncooked or can be contaminated after being cooked. Kolavic et al., (1997) demonstrated that during 1996, intentionally contaminated muffins and doughnuts caused severe gastroenteritis in 12 staff members in a large laboratory in the USA. There was a most popular bioterrorist attack that occurred in 2001 over the whole territory of the USA in which spores of Bacillus anthracis were sent via post letters to various governmental and public institutions. In these attacks, 22 persons were infected and 5 of them have died. Bioterrorism is terrorism which involves the intentional diffusion or dissemination of biological agents. These agents typically contain bacteria, viruses, fungi, or toxins, and maybe these are naturally occurring or can be a human-modified form, in much the same way in biological warfare. The intended release of viruses, bacteria, toxins or other harmful agents to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants is known as Bioterrorism.

2. Categories of Bioterrorism Agents

Since 1999 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a major organization within the Department of Health and Human Services, has used a classification system for identifying major bioterror agents.

2.1 Category A food linked bioterrorism:

These are highly-prior agents posing a risk to national security because of their easy dissemination, high death rates, and high public health impact. They require special action for public health preparedness.

Anthrax: The study shown that it is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis it refers to a non-contagious disease. An anthrax vaccine is available but it requires many injections for stable use. When discovered early anthrax can be cured by using antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin). Vietri, et al., (2009) studied that the first modern incidence in biological warfare was when Scandinavian `freedom fighters` provided by the German General Staff used anthrax with unknown results against the Imperial Russian Army in Finland during 1916.

Smallpox: It is known as highly contagious virus. It can transmitted easily through the atmosphere and has a high death rate (20- 40%). Study shows that smallpox was exterminated in the world in the 1970s, due to worldwide vaccination program. However, in Russian and American laboratories some virus samples are still available. Smallpox is perilous as a biological weapon because of the extremely contagious nature. Also, the irregularity with which vaccines are administered amid the overall population since the abolition of the disease would leave most people risky in the event of an epidemic. Small pox affects only humans, and has no external hosts or vectors.

Botulinum toxin: the bacterium is produced by Clostridium botulinum and it is one of the deadliest toxins known. Botulism causes death by respiratory failure and paralysis. Furthermore, the toxin is readily available worldwide due to its cosmetic application in injections.

Bubonic Plague: The plague is caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacterium. Rodents are the normal host of plague, and the disease is transmitted to humans by the flea bites and occasionally by aerosol in the form of pneumonic plague. It is considered a threat due to its ease of culture and ability to remain in circulation among local rodents for a long period of time. The weaponized threat comes in the form of pneumonic plague (infection by inhalation).

Viral hemorrhagic fevers: hemorrhagic fevers caused by the Arenaviridae (for example the Lassa fever and the Bolivian hemorrhagic fever) and by Filoviridae (Marburg and Ebola), Ebola has mortality rates ranging from 50-90%. Death from Ebola is commonly due to multiple organ failure and hypovolemic shock. Marburg was first discovered in Marburg Germany. The arena viruses have a greatly reduced fatality rate, but a larger presence, chiefly in central Africa and South America.

2.2 Category B food associated bioterrorism

These are the second-highest priority agents. They have moderately easy dissemination, moderate morbidity rates, and low mortality rates. These microbes need specific enhancements of diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance.

Brucella spp.

Brucella species are Gram-negative coccobacilli or short rods. Three major human pathogens cause the zoonotic infection brucellosis- B. melitensis, B. abortus, and B. suis. The source and reservoir of the bacteria are sick animals-goats, sheep, cows, pigs, and dogs. Main transmission routes are contact, erogenic, and alimentary (foodborne). After an incubation period of1–6 weeks, nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, fever, sweating, and muscle pain occur. Enlarged lymph nodes and liver are frequently found. Arthritis, meningitis, encephalitis, pyelitis, and so on may occur in severe forms. Some signs and symptoms may insist for longer periods of time. Tetracycline, ampicillin, or streptomycin is administered for therapy. Longer treatment is required often 2–3 weeks, as brucellae localize intracellularly.

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is the second important cause of gastroenteritis in the globe (after salmonellosis). Its food-poisoning property is due to the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins performed in the food. Staphylococcal toxins could be used as a biological weapon by both food contamination and aerosolization. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in this context, enterotoxin B, which may cause fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, headache, vomiting, and nausea, is the most promising. It is stable and water-soluble, can be easily aerosolized, but however is rarely lethal. Only longer exposure to the toxin could lead to septic shock and death in some people.

Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium (fig. 1). Depending on the entry portal into the host, Clostridium perfringens causes gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) or food toxic infection. It is classified into five serotypes (A, B, C, D, and E) on the basis of the production of four main toxins—alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota (Petit et al., 1999). The gas gangrene is an acute, severe wound infection with a highly invading character. Bacteria grow in the traumatized tissue (muscles) and generate a variety of toxins. The most important is the α-toxin (lecithinase), which affects the cell membranes, including those of the erythrocytes, and leads to hemolysis. Antibiotic penicillin G is the preferred, but more important is the chirurgical treatment of the wound. This foodborne infection has an incubation period of 8–16 h and the disease is characterized by watery diarrhea, cramps, and vomiting. Moreover, the toxin has extreme neurotropism that results in severe neurological injury.

Pathogenic Vibrio species

V. choleraе, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus are the species responsible for food poisoning among the Gram-negative, comma-shaped bacteria from the genus. About two-thirds of V. choleraе food poisoning is linked to the consumption of raw or insufficiently heat-treated sea products. The Vibrios can survive less than 10°C and divide fast under temperatures of 30–37°C with an interval of 12–18 minutes in raw seafood. Vibrio species can multiply in an alkaline environment and under the high concentration of NaCl (up to 10%) but cannot withstand at high temperatures (>70°C) and dehydration. The period of incubation is relatively short—from 6 h to 5 days—and the most usual symptom is watery diarrhea with profuse, “rice-water” stool. In 1961, China claimed that cholera has been used as a weapon in Hong Kong by the US army. However, in developing country regular chemical treatment of public water supplies has controlled the level of damage.

Escherichia coli O157:H7

Escherichia coli is a common and important member of the genus Escherichia. This is a Gram-negative organism, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium. Most E. coli strains are associated with the normal intestinal flora of healthy humans and animals. However, there are some strains associated with several diseases, including gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and meningitis. Among them, enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are defined as pathogenic E. coli strains that produce Shiga toxins and can cause severe illnesses such as hemorrhagic colitis and the life-threatening sequelae hemolytic uremic syndrome, characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal injury. The most common route of transmission for E. coli O157: H7 is via the ingestion of contaminated food and water raw or undercooked meat, unpasteurized dairy products, and fruit juices have been frequently implicated in reported outbreaks (Neil, et al., 2012).E. coli can also spread from person to person, particularly in child day-care units.

Clostridium botulinum

The three forms of the disease are known a foodborne, wound, and infant botulism. The foodborne botulism is the most common form and represents an intoxication that occurs after the ingestion of food contaminated with botulinum toxin. Peck MW (2009) demonstrated that it is mainly caused by botulinum toxin type A, B, and E.botulinum. Finally, infant botulism is intestinal infections that occur in the non-matured gastrointestinal tract of babies due to the consumption of food contaminated with C. botulinum (usually honey or water). The disease is usually severe in the foodborne form, it exhibits with abdominal cramps, headaches, and vomiting. Late symptoms in all forms of the disease include eye muscle paralysis (eptosis of the eyelid and accommodation damage), difficulty swallowing, speech, and breathing. Botulinum toxin is considered the world`s strongest toxic substance—1 g can cause the deaths of millions.

2.3 Category C

These agents are emerging pathogens that might be engineered formass dissemination because of their availability, ease of production and dissemination, high mortality rate, or ability to cause a major health impact. For example: Nipah virus, Hantavirus, SARS, HINI a strain of influenza (flu) and HIV/AIDS

3. Conclusions

As they can be readily found in nature and their isolation and multiplication are relatively easy. There is no specific knowledge is required and their diffusion does not require expensive technologies—they can be distributed by simple contamination of food or drinks. The magnitude of the threat is so difficult to calculate, food poisoning produce significant panic and chaos in the society and can affect a large number of people before recognizing the source of contamination. Raising the level of national alertness will require leadership and action by responsible federal agencies.

References

Joy, Bill (2007-03-31), Why the Future Doesn`t Need Us: How 21st Century Technologies Threaten to Make Humans an Endangered Species, Random House, ISBN 978-0-553-52835-0

Kolavic, S.A., Kimura, A., Simons, S.L., Slutsker, L., Barth, S., Haley, C.E. (1997). An outbreak of Shigella dysenteriae type 2 among laboratory workers due to intentional food contamination.Journal of the American Medical Association. 6; 278(5):396-398

Neil, K.P., Biggerstaff, G., MacDonald, J.K., Trees, E., Medus, C., Musser, K.A.(2012). A novel vehiclefor transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to humans: Multistate outbreak of E. ColiO157:H7 infections associated with consumption of ready-to-bake commercial prepackagedcookie dough-United States, 2009. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 54(4):511-518

Peck, M.W (2009). Biology and genomic analysis of clostridium botulinum. Advances inMicrobial Physiology. 55:183-320

Petit, L., Gibert, M. and Popoff, M.R (1999) Clostridium perfringens: toxinotype and genotype. Trends Microbiol 7: 104.

 

Vietri, N.J., Purcell, B.K., Tobery, S.A., Rasmussen, S.L., Leffel, E.K., Twenhafel., N.A., Ivins, B.E., Kellogg, M.D., Webster, W.M., Wright, M.E. and Friedlander, AM (2009) A short course of antibiotic treatment is effective in preventing death from experimental inhalational anthrax after discontinuing antibiotics. Journal of Infectious Disease 199:336–341.

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