Research bioterrorism

National Institnte of Allergy and Infections Diseases release, Jnne 1, 2005. US to Complete Bioterrorism Research Network. 

Information about clinical diagnosis and management can be found elsewhere.1-9 Additional information about responding to bioterrorism is available from CDC at http // www.bt.cdc.gov the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at http // www.usamriid.army.mil/education/bluebook.html the Association for Infection Control Practitioners at http //www.apic.org and the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense at http //www.hopkins-biodefense.org. 

Carus, S. 2002. Bioterrorism and biocrimes The illicit use of biological agents since 1900. Washington, DC Center of Counterproliferation Research, National Defense University. 

DAVID R. FRANZ, Southern Research Institute Current Thought on Bioterrorism The Threat, Preparedness, and Response 9 05 DISCUSSION... 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2002). Bioterrorism emergency planning and preparedness questionnaire for healthcare facilities. Retrieved from http // www.ahrq.gov/about/cpcr/bioterr.pdf... 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2003). Anthrax summary Types of clinical anthrax. Retrieved March 25, 2007 from http //www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/EIPBA/Anthrax/summary. html... 

Recognition by routine surveillance systems (local, state, and federal) may be the first indicator of a bioterror event (Institute of Medicine [lOM] National Research Council, 1999). Background data on disease occurrence are needed so that an unusual pattern can be detected above the endemic (i.e., usual noise ) level. Current public health surveillance systems related to bioterrorism preparedness, including syndromic surveillance systems, are discussed in detail in chapter 20. 

Even before the anthrax attack in 2001, a variety of detection systems had been developed for potential bioterror agents. A systematic review published in January 2004 identified publicly available articles on 55 such systems (Bravata et al., 2004). Various technologies were represented, including biomass indicators and identification systems targeting toxins, metabolic byproducts, antigens or DNA for selected agents. A key point made by the authors was that only eight of the published articles included evaluation data, and they identified system evaluation as an important area for further research. 

How can emerging infectious diseases be classified What is their bioterrorism category and why Select 10 diseases from the CDC list of emerging diseases and research them at www.cdc.gov to determine if they are newly emerging, re-emerging, or deliberately emerging. 

With the recent heightened awareness of the possibility of man-made disasters and bioterrorism, it is even more important to understand the current state of the science. Although there are still very few specific studies in the bioterrorism literature conducted by nurses, federal sector and military nurses have been quite active in research. In the context of the framework mentioned previously, the majority of the research conducted still focuses primarily on the provider role, with some focused on health systems implications. Much of the research focuses on the role of nurses and the care of patients in wartime or deployed environment (s) where biochemical hazards could be encountered. Although before 9/11 these studies did not appear to be relevant to disaster response in the civilian sectors, there is increasing relevance to the understanding of the role and preparation of nurses as providers in mass casualty events on U.S. soil. 

General research needs lie in the areas of detection, decontamination, and treatment. Better and cheaper methods need to be developed for the rapid detection and measurement of mycotoxin levels be it in food or tissues. In regard to bioterrorism, better methods need to be developed for the identification and measurement of mycotoxins in human and animal tissues, body fluids, and feces. Availability of mycotoxin reference samples to provide comparability of analytical results obtained between laboratories within a country as well as in different parts of the world would be helpful. 

Sidwell, RW, Smee, DF. Viruses of the Bunya- and Togaviridae Families Potential as Bioterrorism Agents and Means of Control. Antiviral Research, 57(1-2) 101-111, 2003... 

Polatin, PB, Yound, M, Mayer, M, Gatchel, R. Bioterrorism, Stress and Pain. The Importance of an Anticipatory Community Preparedness Intervention. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 58 311-316, 2005... 

U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), 2001. Bioterrorism Federal Research and Preparedness Activities, report to U.S. Congressional Committees, September 28, 2001. 

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. 

New research shows that ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes offer the high gain, reliability and robustness needed to detect anthrax and other bioterrorism agents in the air. The fabrication methods and device characteristics were described at the fiftieth Electronic Materials Conference in Santa Barbara on June 25, 2008. Details of the photodiodes were also published in the February 14,2008 issue of the journal Electronics Letters and the November 2007 issue of the journal IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. 

In addition to creating such an incentive structure for the biotech industry, the Project Bioshield Act of 2004 also allows for expedited peer review procedures for research and development of bioterrorism countermeasures and allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services together with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to permit the distribution of pharmaceuticals and other products for emergency use prior to FDA approval for general use. 

W. S. Cams, Bioterrorism and Biocrimes. The Illicit Use of Biological Agents Since 1900, Center for Counterproliferation Research Working Paper (Washington, DC National Defense University, Febmary 2001). 

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