Biological agent
A biological agent is an infectious disease or toxin that can be used in bioterrorism or biological warfare. There are more than 1200 different kinds of biological agents.
Biological agents include prions, viruses, microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and some unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes (for example parasites) and their associated toxins. They have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from allergic reactions that are usually relatively mild, to serious medical conditions, even death. These organisms are ubiquitous in the natural environment; they are found in water, soil, plants, and animals. Because many biological agents reproduce rapidly and require minimal resources for preservation, they are a potential danger in a wide variety of occupational settings.
Examples of biological agents are
Mycotic Biological Agents
- OC - Coccidioides mycosis
Bacterial Biological Agents
- N - anthrax
- TR - anthrax
- LE - plague
- UL - tularemia (schu S4)
- TT - wet-type UL
- ZZ - dry-type UL
- SR - tularemia
- JT - tularemia (425)
- HO - cholera
- AB - bovine brucelosis
- US - porcine brucellosis
- NX - porcine brucellosis
- AM - caprine brucellosis
- BX - caprine brucellosis
- Y - bacterial dysentery
- LA - Glanders
- HI - Melioidosis
- DK - diptheria
- TQ - listeriosis
Chlamydial Biological Agents
- SI - psisticosis
Rickettsial Biological Agents
- RI - rocky mountain spotted fever
- UY - rocky mountain spooted fever
- OU - Q fever
- MN - wet-type OU
- NT - dry-type OU
- YE - human typhus
- AV - murine typhus
Viral Biological Agents
- OJ - yellow fever
- UT - yellow fever
- LU - yellow fever
- FA - rift valley fever
- NU - Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis
- TD - Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis
- FX - Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis
- ZX - Eastern Equine Encephalomylitis
- ZL - smallpox
- AN - Japanese B Encephalitis
Biological Vectors
- AP = Aedes aegypti mosquito
Biological Toxins
- X - botulinum toxin A
- XR - partially purified botulinum toxin A
- W - ricin toxin
- WA - ricin toxin
- UC - staphyloccocal enterotoxin B
- PG - staphyloccocal enterotoxin B
- TZ - saxitoxin
- SS - saxitoxin
- PP - tetrodotoxin
Simuants
- MR - molasis residium
- BG - Bacillus globigii
- BS - Bacillus globigii
- U - Bacillus globigii
- SM - Serratia marescens
- P - Serratia marescens
- AF - Aspergillus fumigatus mutant C-2
- EC - E. coli
- BT - Bacillus thursidius
- EH - Erwinia hebicola
- FP - florescent particle
See also
- Biological hazard
External links
- U.S. Department of Labor - Biological Agents
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Select Agents and Toxins
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Biological agent". Image Credit.
