BIOLOGICAL

WARFARE
 Introduction

Biological warfare (also known as biowarfare or germ warfare)

may be either anti-personnel or anti-agricultural.
Agents of biological warfare
Bacteria

Living organisms Viruses

(or replicating
entities)
Biological
Weapons Protozoa

Biological Toxins
Fungi

Protists
 Living organisms
The use of living organisms (eg. Bacteria) or replicating
entities (eg. Viruses) are the most common forms of
biological weapons.

Bacillus anthracis Variola virus

 BIOLOGICAL TOXINS
• Apart from living organisms, certain toxins
produced by living organisms can also be used.
• Use of toxins produced by living organisms is
considered as both Biological Warfare as well as
Chemical Warfare.
 Types of biological weapons

Anti-personnel Anti- agricultural

These are bioweapons used These are bioweapons

against humans. used against crops.

A patient suffering from Agent orange was a

the anthrax disease due herbicide used by the US
to inhalation of the military as a part of its
bacteria. herbicide warfare against
Vietnam (1961-1971).
Vietnamese man whose face is deformed due
to birth defects caused by Agent Orange
Potential biological weapon
agents
 Characteristics of biological
weapons
Ideal characteristics of a bio-weapon are:
- High infectivity
- High potency
- Non-availability of vaccines against it

Diseases most likely to be considered for use as

biological weapons are contenders because of their
lethality (if delivered efficiently), and robustness
(making aerosol delivery feasible). The primary
difficulty is not the production of the biological
agent but delivery in an infective form to a
vulnerable target.
 Why countries and terrorists choose bio weapons

1. Bio weapons are very cheap.

2. They kill large number of people.Example: 10 gms of

anthrax can kill 1.3 million people.

3. They are invisible, odourless, tasteless when released.

 Realities of biological warfare and
terrorism
• 1.They are more threatening than the conventional weapons.
• 2.They are easy to obtain and are inexpensive.
• 3.Their detection and prohibition are very difficult.
 History
Biological warfare has been practiced repeatedly throughout history. Before the
20th century, the use of biological agents took three major forms:
1. Deliberate poisoning of food and water with infectious material
2. Use of microorganisms, toxins or animals, living or dead, in a weapon system
3. Use of biologically inoculated fabrics.

Ancient written texts from the Middle East may reveal

that the use of biological weapons dates back more than
3300 years.
Hittites - whose empire stretched from modern-day
Turkey to northern Syria - sent diseased rams to their
enemies to weaken them with tularemia, (also known as
rabbit fever ) a devastating bacterial infection that
remains a potential bio-terror threat even today
The bacterium responsible for tularemia, Francisella
tularensis, causes symptoms ranging from skin ulcers to
respiratory failure.
 Middle ages 18th Century 19th Century

The victims of the There is evidence Texts and books

famous Bubonic plague which reveals that written during
were used as weapons the British army those times
by the Mongol warriors, intended on using indicate the use
as the disease was blankets to spread of bioweapons for
highly contagious. small pox to Indians. spreading deadly
diseases such as
measles.
 20TH CENTURY
E120 bomblet
The E120 biological bomblet was one of a number of spherical
biological bomblets that were developed before the United States
discontinued its offensive program in the 1970s. The outer shell of this
spherical bomblet was designed to provide rotation during flight. On
impact, the outer shell would shatter; the bomblet was asymmetrically
weighted so that agent would then be sprayed from the top of the
bomblet. The E120 bomblet was developed in the early 1960s, 11.4 cm
diameter, carried 0.1 kg of liquid biological agent.
 Biodefense
• Biodefense involves medical measures to
protect people against biological agents. This
means medicines and vaccinations. It also
means medical research and preparations to
defend against bioterrorist attacks.
 Biological Weapons Convention,
abbreviation

• BWC, was the first multilateral

disarmament treaty banning the production
of an entire category of weapons. 
The BWC entered into force March 26, 1975
when twenty-two governments had
deposited their instruments of ratification.