What are the categories of biological agents?


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Biological agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, other microorganisms and their associated toxins.

What are the criteria used in the CDC classification of bioterrorism agents?

The US CDC biological agents biodefense evaluation criteria include: (1) can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; (2) result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impacts; (3) might cause public panic and social disruption; (4) require special action for public …

How are biological agents measured?

Methods based on physical properties and separation are good examples: mass spectrometry and gas or liquid chromatography. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a major analytical technique in which materials to be analyzed are converted into gaseous ions or otherwise characteristic fragments.

How many types of biological agents are there?

There are more than 1200 different kinds of biological agents, some of which can be used as biological weapons.

What are the 6 category A biological agents?

  • Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
  • Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
  • Plague (Yersinia pestis)
  • Smallpox (variola major)
  • Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
  • Viral hemorrhagic fevers (filoviruses [e.g., Ebola, Marburg] and arenaviruses [e.g., Lassa, Machupo])

What are the 5 biological agents?

They include bacteria, viruses, fungi (including yeasts and moulds) and internal human parasites (endoparasites). The majority of these agents are harmless however some may have potential to cause ill health.

What is Category A agent?

Classification of Bioterrorism Agents Category A consists of the agents that are considered the highest risk, and much of the biodefense research effort is directed towards these agents. Included among Category B agents are ones that could conceivably threaten water and food safety.

What are category C bioterrorism agents?

The agents classified as category C by the CDC currently are Nipah virus, Hantavirus, tick-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus complex, yellow fever, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

What are the three types of biological agents that can be weaponized?

  • brucellosis.
  • Q fever.
  • ricin toxin.
  • cholera.

What is considered a biological exposure?

Potential exposures include needle sticks, animal bites, aerosol exposures, and other incidents potentially resulting in disease from a biological agent.

Which of the following is not a biological agent?

D) Pollen is a fine to coarse, powdery substance that contains pollen grains that are male microgametophytes of seed plants. It is not a biological agent of a disease. Therefore, the correct answer is option ‘C’ i.e, pollen.

Which piece of detection equipment can identify biological agents in the field?

A cueing device is first able to determine when there is an increase in particulates and then is able to distinguish between concentrations of biological aerosols and nonbiological aerosols (nonspecific biological agent detection). Descriptions of several detector technologies are presented in section 5.1.

What are the 4 hazard groups for biological agents give some examples?

Pathogens, Toxins, Allergens and Carcinogens Pathogens are microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites which can colonise humans and cause infection and harm to health.

What are the two classifications of biological hazards?

Generally, these refer to plants, soil, or water that potentially contain the first two types of biological hazardsโ€”biological agents and biotoxins.

Are category A biological agents easily transmitted person to person?

Biological Agent Categories Can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; Result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact; Might cause public panic and social disruption; and. Require special action for public health preparedness.

Why do we Categorise infectious agents?

Why is it important that we think of these categories of infectious agents? The answer is that these categories are important factors in deciding what kind of treatment to use. Members of each one of these groups โ€“ viruses, bacteria, and so on โ€“ have many biological characteristics in common.

What is the meaning of biological agents?

Listen to pronunciation. (BY-oh-LAH-jih-kul AY-jent) A substance that is made from a living organism or its products and is used in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancer and other diseases. Biological agents include antibodies, interleukins, and vaccines.

What are the characteristics of a Group 3 biological agent?

Hazard group 3 These can cause severe human disease and may be a hazard to employees. The organism may spread to the community but there is usually an effective prophylaxis or treatment available.

Which category of biological agents include agents that have some potential for dissemination?

Category A Diseases/Agents can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; โ€ข result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact; โ€ข might cause public panic and social disruption; and โ€ข require special action for public health preparedness.

What is an example of a biological weapon?

These include: Bacteriaโ€”single-cell organisms that cause diseases such as anthrax, brucellosis, tularemia, and plague.

How do you identify bioterrorism?

  1. An unusual age distribution for common diseases. An increase in what appears to be a chickenpox-like illness among Adult patients, but which might be smallpox.
  2. A large number of cases of acute flaccid paralysis with prominent bulbar palsies, suggestive of a release of botulinum toxin.

How many types of bioterrorism are there?

Bioterrorism agents are divided into three categories based on their ease of spread and the severity of illness they cause. Category A agents are most dangerous, and Category C agents are current emerging threats.

Are biological agents allowed to be used in war?

In particular, the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) bans the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological weapons. Therefore, the use of biological agents in armed conflict is a war crime.

When was the last time biological weapons were used?

The last known incident of using plague corpses for biological warfare may have occurred in 1710, when Russian forces attacked Swedish troops by flinging plague-infected corpses over the city walls of Reval (Tallinn) (although this is disputed).

Which category of biological agents include agents that could emerge as future threats quizlet?

Category C is considered the third priority and includes biological agents that could emerge as a future threat. Examples include emerging infectious diseases, such as the Nipah virus or yellow fever, which could have a major health impact.

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