Biological
A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of biological agents to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food, and may be used by terrorists because they can be extremely difficult to detect.
What are biological agents?
Biological agents are viruses, bacteria, or other germs that can be found naturally occurring in the environment. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, such as anthrax, cannot.
The following are common biological agents of concern for bioterrorism:
Anthrax
English | Ilocano | Japanese | Korean | Tagalog
Botulism
English | Japanese | Korean | Tagalog
Brucellosis
English | Chinese | Japanese
Plague
English | Ilocano | Japanese | Korean
Smallpox
English | Chinese | Ilocano | Japanese | Korean | Tagalog
Tularemia
English | Chinese | Ilocano | Japanese | Korean | Tagalog
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF)
English | Chinese | Ilocano | Japanese | Korean | Tagalog
More information about these bioterrorism threats can be found on their respective disease pages: anthrax, botulism, Brucellosis, plague, smallpox, and tularemia.
Last reviewed August 2021