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. 2009 May 15:685–695. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-02844-8.50069-X

Table 64.1.

Classification of Bioterrorist Agentsa

Category Definition Agents
A High-priority agents that can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact; require special action for public health preparedness

  • Anthrax

  • Botulism

  • Plague

  • Smallpox

  • Tularemia

  • Viral hemorrhagic fevers
B Second highest priority agents that are moderately easy to disseminate; result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates

  • Brucellosis

  • Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin

  • Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli O157:H7

  • Burkholderia species

  • Psittacosis

  • Q fever

  • Ricin toxin

  • Staphylococcal enterotoxin B

  • Typhus fever

  • Viral encephalitis

  • Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum

C Third highest priority agents, including emerging pathogens that in the future could be engineered for mass dissemination secondary to availability, ease, or production and dissemination, and potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact Emerging infectious diseases (e.g., Nipah virus and Hantavirus)
a

Data from www.cdc.gov (accessed October 25, 2004).