Types of Biological Warfare Agents
Biological Warfare Agents: The "Dirty Dozen" (acc. to WHO more
than 30 substances)
| Pathogen | Symptoms | |
| Bacteria | Inhalation Anthrax Bacillus anthracis |
Nonspecific symptoms of fatigue, myalgia, fever, nonproductive cough, followed by chest pain, respiratory distress, high fever, pneumonia. Other forms: Intest./Cutan. Anthrax (not as BW-Agents) |
| Pneumonic Plague Yersinia pestis |
Acute: high fever, headache, productive cough blood-tinged sputum, vomiting. Hematogenous dissemination: sepsis, shock, meningitis | |
| Tularemia Francisella tularensis (Rabbit Fever) |
Fever, chills, headache, myalgias, abdominal pain vomiting, diarrhea. Chest pain, pneumonia, cutaneous ulcer. Enlarged limph nodes. | |
| Brucellosis Brucella suis |
Nonspecific: Fever, malaise, body aches, sweats, muscel and joint aches. Hepato-/splenomegaly | |
| Q-Fever Coxiella burnetii |
Extremely infectious, no characteristic illness: severe headache, back pain, fatigue, weight loss | |
| Glanders: Burkholderia mallei Burkholderia pseudomallei |
Severe sickness, fever, rigors, pulmonary distress abscesses of internal organs (e.g. liver and spleen) | |
| Viruses | Smallpox Variolavirus |
Acute: malaise, fever, headache, vomiting. Erythematous rash spread centrally to the trunk, quickly progresses to papules/pustular vesicles (centrifugal distribution). Pustules → scabs after 8 - 14 days |
| Venet. Equine
Enzephalitis VEE-Virus |
Acute: febrile illness with severe headache, fatigue, photophobia, nausea, vomiting, rigors, myalgias (e.g. legs and lumbosacral area) | |
| Marburg-Fever (Viral Hemorrh. Fever) Marburg-Virus |
Myalgia, fever, headache, flushing of the face and chest, conjunctival/cutaneous bleedings, dizziness, hypotension, renal insufficiency, shock, death | |
| Toxins | Botulism Clostridium botulinum |
Blurred vision, dilated pupils, photophobia, difficulty with speaking/swallowing, (severe) muscle paralysis |
| Ricin-Intoxication Ricin |
Fever, chest tightness, nausea, gastrointestinal ailment, resp. failure, pulmonary edema | |
| SEB-Intoxication Staphylococcal-Toxin |
Sudden onset of fever, chills, cough, vomiting, diarrhea. Higher exposure: septic shock |