Characteristics of Biological Agents. a. Characteristics. Intrinsic features of biological agents which influence their potential for use as weapons include: infectivity; virulence; toxicity; pathogenicity; incubation period; transmissibility; lethality; and stability.
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What is meant by biological agent?
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 examples of biological agents?
Biological agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, other microorganisms and their associated toxins. They have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild, allergic reactions to serious medical conditionsโeven death.
What are 4 biological agents?
Biological agents are bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi which can cause harm to human health, usually due to infection (some are toxic or can cause an allergy).
What are the six biological agents?
- Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
- Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
- Plague (Yersinia pestis)
- Smallpox (variola major)
- Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
- Viral hemorrhagic fevers, including. Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) Arenaviruses (Lassa, Machupo)
Is blood a biological agent?
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Rules for use of microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, viroids, prions, rickettsia, fungi and parasites), recombinant DNA technologies or human or animal fresh/frozen tissues, blood, or body fluids.
How many biological agents are there?
A biological agent is an infectious disease. They can be naturally occurring or be used in biological warfare. There are more than 1200 different kinds of biological agents, some of which can be used as biological weapons.
How do biological agents enter the body?
There are four major routes by which a chemical may enter the body: Inhalation (breathing) Skin (or eye) contact. Swallowing (ingestion or eating)
What is the difference between a chemical and biological agent?
Chemical agents are hazardous substances that usually would make you sick immediately. Examples of chemical agents include mustard gas, cyanide, and sarin. Biological agents are usually viruses or bacteria which may take several days to make you sick once you are infected.
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.
What is a biological disease?
Biological Disorders: disturbances of the normal state of the body or mind. Disorders of structure or function in an animal or plant. ( Oxford) Disorders may be caused by genetic factors, disease, or “trauma.” ( NCI3)
Which biological agent inspires the most fear?
There are many ways to implement a biological attack, but these are some of the most feared agents, from least to most threatening: Ebola virus — The virus takes about a week to kill the victim, and it spreads through direct contact.
What is the deadliest biological weapon?
Anthrax. Anthrax is probably No. 1 on the list of most likely biological agents because it’s naturally found in soil, is easily produced and lasts for a long, long time once disbursed. It’s odorless, colorless and tasteless, meaning it’s bad news as a sneaky weapon of mass destruction.
What are some examples of biological weapons?
Historical biological weapons programmes have included efforts to produce: aflatoxin; anthrax; botulinum toxin; foot-and-mouth disease; glanders; plague; Q fever; rice blast; ricin; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; smallpox; and tularaemia, among others.
Which is biocontrol agent?
Biological Control Agent (BCA) can be defined as the use of natural efficient strains of any microorganisms or modified organisms that reduce the incidence or severity of diseases caused by plant pathogens. From: Microbial Management of Plant Stresses, 2021.
What is a hazardous biological agent?
HBA” means hazardous biological agents which are micro-organisms, including those that have been genetically modified, pathogens, cells, cell cultures and human endoparasites that have the potential to provoke an infection toxic effects, subdivided into the following groupsโ
Is Ebola a biological agent?
on these characteristics this study concludes that the Ebola virus is capable of being a successful bio-agent, analogous to smallpox and anthrax. In certain factors such as infectiousness and prophylaxis, Ebola is, in fact, a more suitable bioterror agent than smallpox or anthrax.
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.
What are the three types of biological agents that can be weaponized?
- brucellosis.
- Q fever.
- ricin toxin.
- cholera.
What are the four types of biological weapons?
Among the agents deemed likely candidates for biological weapons use are the toxins ricin, staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), botulinum toxin, and T-2 mycotoxin and the infectious agents responsible for anthrax, brucellosis, cholera, pneumonic plague, tularemia, Q fever, smallpox, glanders, Venezuelan equine …
What constitutes a biological weapon?
Overview. Biological and toxin weapons are either microorganisms like virus, bacteria or fungi, or toxic substances produced by living organisms that are produced and released deliberately to cause disease and death in humans, animals or plants.
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.
What is the role of biological agents in soil pollution?
Biological agents are chemicals or organisms that increase the rate at which natural biodegradation occurs. Biodegradation is a process by which microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast break down complex compounds into simpler products.
What are examples of biological hazards?
Sources of biological hazards may include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans. These sources can cause a variety of health effects ranging from skin irritation and allergies to infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer and so on.
Where are biological agents found?
Biological agents are widely found in the natural environment and as a result found in many work sectors. 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.