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.^[1][2] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

As of 2016, there are more than 1,200 different kinds of bio-agents that could be made into weapons.^[4]

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.^[2][5][6][7] 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[6]p. 26
Brucella species	Brucellosis	Brucella suis was the first bio-agent weaponized by the U.S., in 1954; Brucella species easily survive in aerosol form[6]
Yersinia pestis	Bubonic or pneumonic plague	Killed 60% of Europe's population in the 1300s.[8] Pneumonic plague is fatal if antibiotics are not given within 1 day after symptoms start[6]p. 55 Weaponized by U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War[8]
Vibrio cholerae	Cholera	Could be spread by contaminating water supplies[9]
Shigella dysenteriae; Some species of Escherichia coli	Dysentery	Could be spread by contaminating food supplies[10]p. 212
Coxiella burnetii	Q fever	Number of bacteria needed to infect a person is one - the lowest known to man[6]p. 67 Can live on surfaces for 60 days, in aerosols, and in many temperatures[11] Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969[6]
Francisella tularensis	Tularemia	Very contagious; bacteria are very easy to get because they occur in nature; Weaponized by U.S. between 1942 and 1969[6]
Rickettsia prowazekii	Typhus	High mortality rate if untreated; can be spread by aerosol[10]p. 169
Staphylococcus aureus	Many	Could be spread by contaminating food supplies or by aerosol[12] Some strains (like MRSA) are resistant to antibiotics[13]

Viral agents

Pathogen	Disease	Comments
Alphaviruses	Many	Can cause many forms of viral encephalitis; very low dose needed for infection. Easily spread by aerosol.[6]p. 96
Filoviridae and Arenaviridae viruses	Many	Cause viral hemorrhagic fevers, like Ebola virus and Lassa fever Can be spread by aerosol; very high mortality rates[6]p. 107
Variola major	Smallpox	Very contagious, easily spread through air, mortality rate 20-40% Eradicated in 1970s, but laboratories still have samples[14]

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[6]p. 122
Ricin	Castor oil plant	Ricin poisoning	Can be made at home; very toxic by any route of exposure[15]

Examples of delivery systems

In the past, countries have designed many different delivery systems for exposing people to biological agents. These systems have included:^[2]

• 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.^[2]

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[1]
1763	Variola major (smallpox)	Blankets from smallpox victims	British soldiers to attack Native Americans[1]
1940s	Yersinia pests (plague)	Plague-infected ticks dropped from airplanes	Japan to attack China during World War II[6]p. 56
1941	Vibrio cholerae (cholera)	Contaminated food & water	Japan to attack China[9]
2001	Bacillus anthraces (anthrax)	Mailed letters	Terrorists to attack U.S. politicians and news stations[16]
2013	Ricin	Mailed letters	Terrorists to attack U.S. President Obama and a U.S. Senator[15]

Related pages

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

Other websites

• Biological weapon -Citizendium