Table 2.

Classification of potential bioterrorism agents (bacteria, virus, protozoan and toxins) capable of induce diseases in humans, according to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Strategic Planning Group.

Category	Definition	Agent and Disease
A	•high-priority agents •easy to disseminate or transmitted (person to person) •high mortality rates •potential for major public health impact •cause public panic and social disruption •special action for public health preparedness	• Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) • Clostridium botulinum (botulism, toxin) • Francisella tularensis (tularemia) • Yersinia pestis (plague) •Variola major (smallpox) •Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) •Arenaviruses (Lassa, Machupo) •Bunyaviruses (Congo-Crimean, Rift Valley) •Flaviviruses (Dengue)
B	•second highest priority agents •moderately easy to disseminate •moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates •specific enhancements of CDC’s diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance	• Brucella spp. (brucellosis) • Clostridium perfringens (gangrene and food poisoning, Epsilon toxin) • Salmonella spp. (salmonellosis) • Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Hemorrhagic colitis) • Shigella dysenteriae (dysentery) • Burkholderia mallei (glanders) • Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis) • Chlamydia psittaci (psittacosis) • Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) • Vibrio cholerae (cholera) • Cryptosporidium parvum (cryptosporidiosis) • Staphylococcus aureus (food poisoning, Staphylococcal enterotoxin B) • Rickettsia prowazekii (typhus fever) •Alphaviruses (encephalitis) •Caliciviruses (gastroenteritis)
C	•third highest priority agents •includes emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination •availability •easy to produce and disseminate •high morbidity and mortality rates •potential for major public health impact	•Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis) •Nipah virus (encephalitis) •Hantavirus (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome - HFRS, cardiopulmonary syndrome - HCPS) •Chikungunya virus (arthritis and rash) •SARS-associated coronavirus (respiratory syndrome) •Highly pathogenic strains Influenza Virus (respiratory syndrome) •Yellow fever (myalgia)

Adapted from https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist-category.asp.