Bioterrorism defined

Events involving deliberate or accidental distribution of bacterial pathogens into our everyday environment have clearly defined the need for a sensitive, specific, and rapid method of bacterial detection. Bioterrorism was first introduced in the United States in 1984 with the Salmonella typhimurium attack in The Dalles, Oregon, by a cult group attempting to affect a local election.1 As a result of this act 751 people contracted salmonellosis, which totally overwhelmed the hospitals and medical clinics with patients. Later our society became keenly aware of the potential of bioterrorism during the last four months of 2001 when Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) spores were sent through the US mail in an envelope to several locations. These events had... 

In 2002, President Bush signed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act to initiate a response to bioterrorism preparedness. Unfortunately, the Act s attention to children was minimal, even with the creation of a National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism (NACCT). As defined within the Act, the purpose of the NACCT is to assess and provide recommendations to the Secretary of the... 

National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), FDA. 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR 72079, U.S.A. URL http //www.fda. gov/nctr/index.html. Mission Statement includes fundamental and applied research specifically designed to define biological mechanisms of action underlying the toxicity of products regulated by the FDA. Covers food safety, bioterrorism, biotechnology, information technology, fundamental and applied research, premarket activities, antimicrobial resistance, and HIV/AIDS. 

Events leading to an effect, which we now define as bioterrorism result from a wide variety of situations some of these are devoid of any foul doing by the individual, and completely involuntary. 

Note Some examples of their effects will be indicated under the agents involved The CDC has defined and categorized bioterrorism agents according to priority as follows ... 

In September and October 2001, several cases of anthrax broke out in the United States in the 2001 anthrax attacks, caused deliberately. This was a well-publicized act of bioterrorism, which was perpetrated through anthrax-laced mail. It motivated efforts to define biodefense and biosecurity, where more limited definitions of biosafety had focused on unintentional or accidental impacts of agricultural and medical technologies. 

The principles and practices of biosurveillance, a new interdisciplinary science, were defined and described in the Handbook of Biosurveillance, edited by Michael Wagner, Andrew Moore and Ron Aryel, and pubhshed in 2006. Biosurveillance is the science of real-time disease outbreak detection. Its principles apply to both natural and man-made epidemics (bioterrorism). 

FDA has responded to the threat of terrorism with a unique approach towards the development of biopharmaceuticais intended to counter the adverse effects of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear substances [83]. In many instances, efficacy trials in humans cannot be ethically performed (e.g., anti-bioterrorism agents). In these instances, animal data can be used in place of human data to model the in-vivo pharmacodynamics. In particular, studies in animals can provide substantial evidence of the effectiveness of biopharma-ceutical products intended for possible use to reduce or prevent the toxicities of these agents under defined circumstances. Such studies should be conducted under GLP (21 CFR 58) and are appHcable when ... 

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