Biological

Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people and livestock and destroy crops. The three basic groups of biological agents that are likely to be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses, and toxins.

Bacteria are small, free-living organisms that reproduce by simple division and are easy to grow. The diseases they produce often respond to treatment with antibiotics.

Viruses are organisms that require living cells in which to reproduce and are intimately dependent upon the body they infect. Viruses produce diseases that generally do not respond to antibiotics. Antiviral drugs are sometimes effective.

Toxins are poisonous substances found in and extracted from, living plants, animals, or microorganisms; some toxins can be produced or altered by chemical means. Some toxins can be treated with specific antitoxins and selected drugs.

Many biological agents break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long lived.

Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them into the air or infecting animals that can carry the disease to humans through food and water contamination.

• Aerosols - Biological agents are dispersed into the air, forming a fine mist that may drift for miles. Inhaling the agent may cause disease in people or animals.
• Animals - Some diseases are spread by insects and animals, such as fleas, mice, flies, and mosquitoes. Deliberately spreading diseases through livestock is also referred to as agro-terrorism.
• Food and water contamination - Some pathogenic organisms and toxins may persist in food and water supplies. Most microbes can be killed, and toxins deactivated, by cooking food and boiling water.