posted June 15, 2000 05:11 AM         

Agent
Type Name of Agent Rate of Action Effective Dosage Symptoms/Effects Prophylaxis/Treatment
Bacteria Bacillus anthracis
l Causes anthrax
Incubation:
1 to 6 days
Length of illness:
1 to 2 days

Extremely high mortality rate
8,000 to 50,000 spores Fever and fatigue; often followed by a slight improvement, then abrupt onset of severe respiratory problems; shock; pneumonia and death within 2 to 3 days Treatable, if antibiotics administered prior to onset of symptoms
Vaccine available

Yersinia pestis
l Causes plague
Incubation:
2 to 10 days

Length of illness:
1 to 2 days
Variable mortality rate
100 to 500 organisms Malaise, high fever, tender lymph nodes, skin lesions, possible hemorrhages, circulatory failure, and eventual death Treatable, if antibiotics administered within 24 hours of onset of symptoms
Vaccine available

Brucella suis
l Causes brucellosis
Incubation:
5 to 60 days
2% mortality rate
100 to 1,000 organisms Flu-like symptoms, including fever and chills, headache, appetite loss, mental depression, extreme fatigue, aching joints, sweating, and possibly gastrointestinal symptoms. Treatable with antibiotics
No vaccine available

Pasturella tularensis
l Causes tularemia

l Also known as rabbit fever and deer fly fever
Incubation:
1 to 10 days

Length of illness:
1 to 3 weeks
30% mortality rate
10 to 50 organisms Fever, headache, malaise, general discomfort, irritating cough, weight loss Treatable, if antibiotics administered early
Vaccine available

Rickettsiae Coxiella burnetti
l Causes Q-fever
Incubation:
2 to 14 days

Length of illness:
2 to 14 days
1% mortality rate
10 organisms Cough, aches, fever, chest pain, pneumonia Treatable with antibiotics
Vaccine available

Viruses Variola virus
l Causes smallpox
Incubation:
average 12 days
Length of illness:
several weeks

35% mortality rate in un-
vaccinated individuals
10 to 100 organisms Malaise, fever, vomiting, headache appear first, followed 2 to 3 days later by lesions
Highly infectious
Treatable if vaccine administered early
Limited amounts of vaccine available

Note: World Health Organization conducted a vaccination campaign from 1967 to 1977 to eradicate smallpox.

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus Incubation:
1 to 5 days

Length of illness:
1 to 2 weeks
Low mortality rate
10 to 100 organisms Sudden onset of fever, severe headache, and muscle pain
Nausea, vomiting, cough, sore throat and diarrhea can follow
No specific therapy exists
Vaccine available

Yellow fever virus
Incubation:
3 to 6 days
Length of illness:
1 to 2 weeks

5% mortality rate
1 to 10 organisms Severe fever, headache, cough, nausea, vomiting, vascular complications (including easy bleeding, low blood pressure) No specific therapy exists
Vaccine available

Toxins Saxitoxin
l Produced by blue-green algae commonly ingested by shellfish, mussels in particular
Time to effect:
minutes to hours

Length of illness:
Fatal after inhalation of lethal dose 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight Dizziness, paralysis of respiratory system, and death within minutes

Botulinum toxin
l Causes botulism

l Produced by Clostridium botulinum bacterium
Time to effect:
24 to 36 hours

Length of illness:
24 to 72 hours
65% mortality rate
.001 microgram per kilogram of body weight Weakness, dizziness, dry throat and mouth, blurred vision, progressive weakness of muscles
Interruption of neurotransmission leading to paralysis

Abrupt respiratory failure may result in death
Treatable with antitoxin, if administered early
Vaccine available

Ricin
l Derived from castor beans
Time to effect:
few hours

Length of illness:
3 days
High mortality rate
3 to 5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight Rapid onset of weakness, fever, cough, fluid build-up in lungs, respiratory distress No antitoxin or vaccine available
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB)
l Produced by Staphylococcus aureus
Time to effect:
3 to 12 hours

posted June 15, 2000 05:39 AM            

L8R

posted June 15, 2000 07:33 AM            

L8R

posted June 15, 2000 11:17 AM            

Happen to know any good anthrax sources??..heh..heh...I would like to get my hands on some of that....

posted June 27, 2000 10:48 PM            

You might not think it's all that cool if you were ever involved with it. I spent 7 months in Bosnia(former Yugoslavia) around death and destruction with the threat of gas attacks each day. I spent another 7 months in Central Africa dealing with and helping clean up thousands of dead bodies after a genocide. So I assure you it's not all that great.

Sorry for the rant bro's,

posted June 28, 2000 09:23 AM            

L8R