Smallpox was a highly contagious, often fatal, disease caused by the variola virus. Over five hundred million people died from it during the twentieth century. Due to efforts of the World Health Organization, the disease was eradicated with no cases documented since 1977. The only known stocks of the organisms are at the CDC in…

Tularemia is a bacterial disease caused by Francisella tularensis. It occurs primarily in North America and Eurasia. Spread does not occur from human to human. The disease is contracted by contact with infected animals, eating infected meat, and from arthropod bites. During WWII, the Japanese infected prisoners of war with the organism for research purposes…

Botulinum toxin causes paralysis by blocking the release of acetylcholine from neurons at the neuromuscular junction. It is one of the most poisonous substances known to man. The bacteria, Clostridium Botulinum, C. baratii, and C. butyricum, produce this substance, which causes the disease known as botulism. These organisms live in soil. Ingestion of contaminated, poorly…

Plague is a disease found mainly in rats, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs caused by a Gram-negative bacillus. It is normally transmitted by a fleabite except in its respiratory form when it passes from human to human by respiratory droplets. In 541 A.D. it killed 50 to 60% of the population of North Africa, Europe,…

Aljazeera reports that Taliban fighters overtook a naval base in Karachi, Pakistan yesterday. Although the Pakistani forces recaptured the base after seventeen hours, this incident draws attention to the potential vulnerability of that countries nuclear weapons. Even if the weapons are secure, the U.S. State Department just last year expressed concerns for the safety of…