ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 31 Agents with Potential Application as Bioweapons ....................................................................... 32 Animal Models Commonly Used in Biodefense Research .......................................................... 33
Anthrax ................................................................................................................................. 33 Botulism................................................................................................................................ 33 Plague ................................................................................................................................... 34 Smallpox ............................................................................................................................... 34 Tularemia .............................................................................................................................. 35 Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers .................................................................................................... 35 Brucellosis ............................................................................................................................ 36 Enterotoxemia Due to Epsilon Toxin from Clostridium perfringens.................................. 36 Typhoid Fever and Enteritis Associated with Salmonella enterica..................................... 37 Shigellosis............................................................................................................................. 38 Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Syndromes.................................................................................. 38 Cholera.................................................................................................................................. 39 Glanders................................................................................................................................ 40 Meliodosis............................................................................................................................. 40 Psittacosis ............................................................................................................................. 40 Q Fever ................................................................................................................................. 41 Ricin Toxicosis ..................................................................................................................... 42 Staphylococcal Enterotoxicosis............................................................................................ 42 Typhus Fever ........................................................................................................................ 43 Hantavirus Infections............................................................................................................ 43 Nipah Virus Infection ........................................................................................................... 44
Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 44 References ...................................................................................................................................... 45
INTRODUCTION
The idea of attacking enemies through the use of biologic agents is an ancient one, and includes documented attempts to contaminate the wells and reservoirs of enemies with cadavers and animal
carcasses1 and attempts to infect Native Americans with smallpox via contaminated blankets offered as gifts.2 Awareness and concern over biological weapons has increased greatly as the technological sophistication required to produce related agents has become more global. As a result, interest has greatly expanded in research to more precisely define and understand agents that can be potentially used as bioweapons and in methods to control, prevent, and treat disease which might result from such agents. For the purposes of this chapter, bioweapons are understood to represent live infectious agents or toxins derived from such agents.
