Viral Agents as Biological Weapons and Agents of Bioterrorism

Bronze, Michael S.; Huycke, Mark M.; Machado, Linda J.; Voskuhl, Gene W.; Greenfield, Ronald A.

doi:10.1097/00000441-200206000-00004

Cited by 90 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Also in the present global conflict the nation should be prepared to respond to the use of viral bioweapons and must anticipate a tragic mass population exposure. Such a deliberate epidemic [7,30] would cause a blood, tissue and organ shortage. A reliable disinfectant such as EO might prove useful to provide badly needed virus safe musculoskeletal tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viruses adsorbed on musculoskeletal allografts are inactivated by terminal ethylene oxide disinfection

Moore

Gendler²,

Gendler

2004

Journal Orthopaedic Research

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In 1987 it was anticipated that unsterilized tissues would transmit virus diseases such as hepatitis and HIV-1 from infected donors so a freeze-drying process for musculoskeletal tissue was developed to include terminal ethylene oxide (EO) exposure for 14 h. We found no studies of EO efficacy when viruses were associated with human allografts so we studied the antiviral effect of terminal EO disinfection using all but the final freeze-drying phase of this clinical processing protocol (CPP). Specifically we looked at EO inactivation of HIV-1, a human hepatitis B surrogate and test viruses known to be highly resistant to disinfecting agents, including irradiation. Freeze-drying, ordinarily required after EO disinfection and part of the CPP, was not done. Suspensions of HIV-1, Bovine viral diarrhea, Reovirus type 3, Duck hepatitis B, Poliomyelitis and Canine parvovirus were adsorbed on glass, demineralized bone powder, and preprocessed strips of femoral cortex, iliac wedges, cancellous blocks and patellar bone-tendon-bone preparations and subjected to EO disinfection. Test viruses were inactivated at the end of 7 h of EO disinfection, providing a safety factor in the CPP of at least 100%.Because allografts can transmit viruses, terminal EO disinfection should provide safer musculoskeletal allografts than nondisinfected tissues or those irradiated with a standard irradiation dose. New spontaneously appearing viruses would probably be inactivated with this terminal EO disinfection but they and viral bioweapons will require individual validation to assure viral inactivation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viruses adsorbed on musculoskeletal allografts are inactivated by terminal ethylene oxide disinfection

Moore

Gendler²,

Gendler

2004

Journal Orthopaedic Research

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“…Most VEEV strains, both epizootic and enzootic, have been associated with human disease (1). VEEV is also of biodefense importance; it has been developed as a biological weapon, mainly because it is highly infectious by aerosol transmission and can infect humans with a relatively low dose (2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Infection of Potential Reservoir Hosts with Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Mexico

Deardorff¹,

Forrester²,

Rosa³

et al. 2009

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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In 1993, an outbreak of encephalitis among 125 affected equids in coastal Chiapas, Mexico, resulted in a 50% case-fatality rate. The outbreak was attributed to Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) subtype IE, not previously associated with equine disease and death. To better understand the ecology of this VEEV strain in Chiapas, we experimentally infected 5 species of wild rodents and evaluated their competence as reservoir and amplifying hosts. Rodents from 1 species (Baiomys musculus) showed signs of disease and died by day 8 postinoculation. Rodents from the 4 other species (Liomys salvini, Oligoryzomys fulvescens, Oryzomys couesi, and Sigmodon hispidus) became viremic but survived and developed neutralizing antibodies, indicating that multiple species may contribute to VEEV maintenance. By infecting numerous rodent species and producing adequate viremia, VEEV may increase its chances of long-term persistence in nature and could increase risk for establishment in disease-endemic areas and amplifi cation outside the disease-endemic range.

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“…In 1346, the tartars catapulted corpses of men deceased by the pest into the castle of Kafa on the Crimea, resulting in the Black Death plagues in Europe in the 14 th century (Varkey et al, 2002). The British army in the 17 th century distributed blankets infested with smallpox (Variola major) amongst indigenous Indians (Bronze et al, 2002). During World War I the diversionists of the German army infected the horses and cattle with glanders (Burkhordelia (Bacillus) mallei) and anthrax (Bacillus anthracis).…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical and economic aspects of bioterrorism

Ózsvári¹,

Kasza²,

Lakner³

2017

Management, Organizations and Society

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SummaryThe use of living organisms as weapon has been seen throughout the history of mankind. In our age the growing global tension, the several malfunctional nations and the multitudinous occurrence of low-intensity conflicts increase the risk of biological terror attacks even in Europe. In case of a contingent biological terror attack the veterinarians will become key figures fighting in the forefront, because 60% of the human contagious diseases are zoonotic and the food-chain is an easily vulnerable target which is fundamentally supervised by them. Malicious, deliberate contamination of food and water supplies with different biological agents, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and bacterial toxins for terrorist purposes is a real threat to the civilian populations worldwide. Hence, in the paper the authors review the concepts, history and future trends of bio, agro and food terrorism, and the possible impacts of bioterrorism on food-chain, public health, economy and the whole society.

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Viral Agents as Biological Weapons and Agents of Bioterrorism

Cited by 90 publications

References 52 publications

Viruses adsorbed on musculoskeletal allografts are inactivated by terminal ethylene oxide disinfection

Viruses adsorbed on musculoskeletal allografts are inactivated by terminal ethylene oxide disinfection

Experimental Infection of Potential Reservoir Hosts with Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Mexico

Historical and economic aspects of bioterrorism

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