Biological Warfare/Weapons
The deliberate use of microorganisms and toxins as weapons has been attempted throughout history. Biological
warfare has evolved from the crude use of cadavers to contaminate water supplies to the development of
specialized munitions for battlefield and covert use. The modern development of biological agents as
weapons has paralleled advances in basic and applied microbiology. These include the identification of
virulent pathogens suitable for aerosol delivery and industrial-scale fermentation processes to produce
large quantities of pathogens and toxins. The history of biological warfare is difficult to assess because
of a number of confounding factors. These include difficulties in verification of alleged or attempted
biological attacks, the use of allegations of biological attacks for propaganda purposes, the paucity
of pertinent microbiological or epidemiologic data, and the incidence of naturally occurring endemic
or epidemic diseases during hostilities. Biological warfare has been renounced by 140 nations, primarily
for strategic and other pragmatic reasons. International diplomatic efforts, including the 1972 Biological
Weapons Convention, have not been entirely effective in preventing the enhancement and proliferation
of offensive biological warfare programs. The threats posed by biological weapons are likely to continue
into the future.
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