The potential use of biological pathogens as weapons is particularly unsettling, both because of the harm they could inflict and because of the difficulty in detecting them. Although limited biological-agent use has been described in past military conflicts, the Anthrax mailings of 2001 were a stark reminder that they may also be deadly terrorist weapons. As research progresses to facilitate prevention, detection and treatment of biological-agent-based weapons, so too grow the tools and techniques to create novel pathogens, with heretofore unseen characteristics. This talk will discuss the threat, some consequences, and current research in detecting and mitigating the effects of biological pathogen use.
1This work was sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under contract FA8721-05-C-0002. “Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government”.