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Overview on the Systematics of Biotoxins as Threat Agents

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Defense Against Biological Attacks

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Abstract

Biological threat agents are usually considered as pathogens like bacteria or viruses that can be used to harm people, animals or plants. But these agents also include a very special group of agents which are not infectious and combine ‘biological’ as well as ‘chemical’ characteristics: biotoxins. These molecules are at a hermaphroditic position, on the borderline between ‘synthetic’ and ‘natural’.

Around 20 biotoxins and biotoxins groups out of several millions are considered as agents with mass casualty potential by different international committees and boards. These are to be described here. The aim of this chapter on the one hand is to offer an overview on the systematics of biotoxins and on the other hand to raise awareness for the potential of some biotoxins for biowarfare and bioterrorism.

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  1. Robert Koch-Institute, Federal Information Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Berlin, Germany

    Harald Striegl

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  1. Molecular Biology Unit, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Sunit K. Singh

  2. NIH/NIAID, Division of Clinical Research, Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA

    Jens H. Kuhn

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Striegl, H. (2019). Overview on the Systematics of Biotoxins as Threat Agents. In: Singh, S., Kuhn, J. (eds) Defense Against Biological Attacks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03071-1_15

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