Lecture 4 - Bioterrorism - 10262024 PDF

HUMAN RIGHTS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HRSR (T309) 3rd level Biotechnology English Sawsan Elateek [email protected] BIOTERRORISM  BIOTERRORISM Unlawful use, or threatened use, of microorganisms or toxins derived from living organisms to produce disease in humans, animals...

HUMAN RIGHTS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HRSR (T309) 3rd level Biotechnology English Sawsan Elateek [email protected] BIOTERRORISM  BIOTERRORISM Unlawful use, or threatened use, of microorganisms or toxins derived from living organisms to produce disease in humans, animals, or plants. The act is intended to create fear and intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of political, and/or religious goals.  HISTORY OF VIOLATION AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS USING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH  Sixth Century B.C. Assyrians poisoned enemy water with Rye Ergot ; which is a type of fungi that cause cramps  1495 :Spanish mix wine with blood of Leprosy patients to the French in Naples, Italy  1863 : Clothes of Yellow Fever and SmallPox patients were distributed to troops during the US Civil War  World War I: German and French used Glanders and Anthrax  World War II: Japan used Plague, and Anthrax  1980–1988 : Iraq used Mustard Gas, Sarin Gas, and Tabun Gas against Iran and ethnic groups inside Iraq  2013 : Syria undergo two attacks of toxic Sarin Gas  AGENT ORANGE 1962-1971 Vietnam War It was a herbicide used by the US military to control the vegetation BUT Environmental damage Leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma Birth defects of the children of Vietnam and US military personnal  BIOLOGICAL AGENTS  Its used as biological weapons because:  They can damage populations, food supplies which can destroy the economy  They can be toxins produced from microorganisms or microorganisms itself (They are classified as: Bacteria, Rickettsia, Viruses, Bio-toxins)  They are inexpensive to create and prepare  They can be easily disseminated in air/soil or even water  They can survive on their own for a long period of time  They can enter the human body by inhalation, Ingestion, or dermal penetration  BACTERIA  Single celled  Causing disease  Grown on culture to produce large quantities  Can be modified or “weaponized”  Produces inflammation in tissues and/or toxins Examples:  ANTHRAX  SMALL POX  PLAGUE  TYPHOID  CHOLERA  TULAREMIA  RICKETTSIA  Diverse collection of Obligatory intracellular Gram-negative bacteria  Found in ticks, lice, mosquitoes  Diseases are difficult to treat  Variants exist worldwide EXAMPLES:  TYPHUS  Q FEVER  MEDITERANEAN TICK FEVER  VIRUSES  Living System  RNA or DNA or Protein  Obligated Parasite (Need Host to survive)  Not affected by antibiotics Only vaccines  before the infection EXAMPLES  EBOLA  LASSA FEVER  INFLUENZA  VIRAL HEPATITIS  BIOTOXINS  Poisonous byproducts of bacteria, fungi, marine animals or plants  Disseminate as an aerosol EXAMPLES BOTULINUM STAPHLOCCOCAL ENTEROTOXIN B RICIN  ACTION AGAINST THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS USING THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH In 2002 : the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, (PHSBPRA) was signed by the President, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  AGRO- BIOTERRORISM In our branch as agricultural biotechnologists We only aware about agricultural bioterrorism as Agriculture is considered by many to be the perfect target for bioterrorism, also called Agro-Bioterrorism  AGRO-BIOTERRORISM TARGETING THE FOOD SUPPLIES Direct threat of the use of human diseases as weapons. However, the possibility of biological attack on the plant or animal resources of a country is increasingly recognized as a serious threat. Agricultural terrorism is not about just killing plants or animals; it is about destroying the economy of any country by destroying the livestock/poultry industries and crops which consider a threat to Food Security.  GENOTYPE-SPECIFIC WEAPONS In many developed countries, it focus on planting mono-cropping of large lands with genetically identical cultivars, and genetically inbred animal strains. Which lead to reduce the genetic variability and makes these populations of plants and animals resistant to genotype-specific weapons, which facilitate the disease spread. To defend against agricultural terrorism, We have to reduce the dependence on monoculture and expand the diversity of genotypes cultures. DEFENDING AGAINST AGRO- BIOTERRORISM Countries that engage in high intensity agriculture of a limited range of varieties could reduce their exposure to both deliberate and natural disease outbreaks by: 1- Increasing the use of Intercropping 2- Expanding the diversity of genotypes utilized 3- Reducing the size of plots  MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK IN HOMEWORK 1. What about Influenza, SARS, Corona, H1N1 and other examples? Why they exist? 2. What about other human pathogens, can they turn to be bioagent? Is it possible? 3. What about plant pathogens that can cause death to human when the food is consumed??? 4. What solutions can be offered to defend against agro- bioterrorism?  REFERENCES  https://ag.tennessee.edu/EPP/Pages/HS-CAPS/AgroBio.aspx#targetText= Other%20plant%20pathogens%20that%20could,and%20local%20county %20health%20officials.  https://extension.psu.edu/agroterrorism-a-threat-to-us-animal-agriculture  https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/  https://books.google.com.eg/books?id=pMICgPVzcTAC&pg=PA499&lpg =PA499&dq=Genotype-Specific+Weapons&source=bl&ots=Jb0X0bU-qs &sig=ACfU3U1ZmQimMlc-JD2_ImAuVm0DULDyQg&hl=en&sa=X&ved =2ahUKEwiTiuPA3pzlAhWVTBUIHes7ABMQ6AEwCnoECAkQAQ#v=one page&q=Genotype-Specific%20Weapons&f=false  https://www.mondialisation.ca/zika-why-biotechnology-is-imperative-to-n ational-security-analysis-of-genotype-specific-bioweapons/5506304  https://www.iatp.org/sites/default/files/Agricultural_Biowarfare_and_Biot errorism.htm  https://www.globalresearch.ca/defending-against-the-next-generation-of- bioweapons/5606448