Bioweapons Flashcards
(13 cards)
Name some Category A bioweapons.
Bacillus anthrax. Yersinia pestis. Francisella
What does “category A” mean
High risk; high death rate and easily spread.
What virulence factors do bacillus anthrax have?
Toxins (A-B toxin, edema factor, lethal factor) and capsule
What does the bacillus anthrax edema factor do?
Cause cAMP levels to go up inside cell, Ca2+ gets excreted which causes water to flow to site of infection; swelling
What does the bacillus anthrax lethal factor do?
Induce apoptosis in cell which recruits neutrophil to site of inflammation which causes inflammation and scarring
What are the diseases caused by bacillus anthrax?
cutaneous, gastrointestinal, inhalation
What virulence factors do yersinia pestis have?
Pla protease, T3SS
What does the Pla protease from yersinia pestis do?
It degrades tight junctions in tissue
What are the diseases caused by bacillus anthrax?
Bubonic plague - when the pathogen causes apoptosis in the lymph node
Pneumonic plague - When the pathogen infects the lungs and causes the bacteria to spread with aerosols
Septicemic plague - When the pathogen is in the bloodstream
What does “category B” mean
Moderate level of illness, moderatly easy to spread. Often food- or water safety threats,
Name some Cat. B bioweapons
Salmonella, E.coli, Giardia, Vibrio cholerae
How can one spread bioweapons?
Aerosol delivery, with spray tanks (airplane, drone) or by missile warhead
Why is anthrax so suitable for bioweapon?
Its fairly easy to get access to
spores are hardy and can last a long time, so it doesnt need to be stored in a special way
for inhalation form, very high mortality
controllable use (doesnt spread person-person)
has been proven to work multiple times
