Bioweapons are biological agents – such
as viruses, bacteria, and fungi – used offensively against enemy combatants or civilian populations. These weapons are invisible, uncontrollable,
and (if you’re not vaccinated or don’t have immediate treatment) unstoppable. On today’s episode of The Infographics Show,
we’re talking about some of the world’s most dangerous bioweapons – we’re going
to tell you what they are, how they work, and what’ll happen if they’re ever used
on you. Grab your gas mask and hazmat suit, we’re
jumping in. Botulinum Toxin
Also known informally as “Botox”, Botulinum Toxin is an extremely dangerous neurotoxic
protein derived from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in low-oxygen conditions. Botulinum has been used as a medical treatment
for conditions such as “spasticiy” in the past, and is used to this day as a cosmetic
treatment for wrinkles. However, if used in combat, Botulinum Toxin
can be a horrifically potent biological weapon – seen by some as one of the most deadly
substances known to man. What happens if Botulinum Toxin is weaponised
and used against you? Being a neurotoxin, Botulinum Toxin blocks
nerve signals from the brain, causing severe respiratory and muscle paralysis. Around twelve hours after contracting botulism,
you’re likely to experience fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, and blurred vision. Then, you’ll have difficulty swallowing,
and breathing. After that comes the severe vomiting, constipation,
and diarrhoea. Soon enough, you’ll start to experience
physical weakness, severe pain, and paralysis across the body. It’s a slow and painful death, if not diagnosed
and treated early. Combatants could poison food sources with
Botulinum Toxin, or utilise it in its airborne form, wherein the time between contraction
and displaying symptoms can take days. Meaning, you could be doomed before you even
know it. Aflatoxin
Aflatoxins are a type of deadly toxin derived from naturally-occurring fungi across the
globe. Even outside of their potential application
as a bioweapon, aflatoxins already create huge problems for people and livestock everywhere
– destroying up to 25% of the world’s crop supply every year. Aflatoxins are commonly present in fermenting
nuts and grains, and exposure to humans occurs most commonly through this vector. If enemy combatants got their hands on a significant
supply of aflatoxin, any attacks using it could cause horrific damage to their opponents. In addition to killing or contaminating a
nation’s crops, low-level exposure to aflatoxins – such as Aspergillus, Parasiticus, and
Flavus – over a period of time can increase the likelihood of people developing cancer
in all their major organ systems. Longitudinal exposure can also result in birth
defects and severely weakened immune systems. However, acute poisoning – known as aflatoxicosis
– on the short term can lead to a painful death by liver failure. Its variance in symptoms also makes it difficult
to detect before it’s too late. Even low-level aflatoxin exposure after a
long period of time can damage a population for years or even decades to come. Bunyavirus
Bunyaviruses are a member of the Bunyaviridae viral family, transmitted largely by rodents
like rats and small arthropods like mosquitos and flies, allowing them to thrive in hot
and unhygienic conditions like dense, urban areas. Bunyavirus has the ability to decimate both
human populations and livestock. If used by a combatant, Bunyavirus could attack
a population’s food supply while also inducing dangerous sickness in its citizens. Most commonly, infection with Bunyavirus leads
to the victim experiencing a horrifying condition known as severe viral haemorrhagic fever. One of the most common varieties of Bunyavirus
is the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (Or CCHF). It’s found largely in Eastern Europe, but
also occurs across the globe in places like Central Asia and the Congo. The symptoms of the disease at first appear
mild – such as headaches, stomach ache, fever, joint pain, and vomiting. However, they become more disturbing over
time. Red eyes, severe bruising, nosebleeds, and
increasingly violent haemorrhaging. If not properly treated, Bunyaviruses like
the Crimean-Congo Hemorrahgic Fever can have as high as a 50% mortality rate. Your chances of survival are literally like
flipping a coin. Marburg Virus
Marburg Virus, also known as Marburg Virus Disease and Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever, is
one of the two members of the Filovirus family – the other being the infamous Ebola Virus. Much like the Bunyaviruses, Marburg Virus
can cause the onset of severe hemorrhagic fever. While it can and has infected human victims,
Marburg Virus is largely considered an animal-borne – or Zoonotic – disease. Its most common vectors are rodents and cave
bats, which are often reservoirs for this nasty virus. Symptomatically, it’s extremely similar
to the Bunyaviruses. Initially causing simple and seemingly-innocent
symptoms like headaches and fevers. A few days after contraction, the victim is
likely to experience nausea, abdominal pains, cramping, vomiting, and diarrhoea. However, over the course of about a week,
the symptoms worsen and become extremely debilitating. The severe hemorrhagic fever finally sets
in, followed by bruising and bleeding from the orifices. This blood, by the way, is infectious and
can further spread the virus. If a combatant got their hands on these viral
samples, it’d be bad news for anyone opposing them. Rinderpest
Thankfully for humans in the audience, Rinderpest isn’t an infection you can catch. However, in 2018, studies showed that the
average American consumes around 220 pounds/100 kilograms of red meat and poultry every year. The grand majority of this meat is domestic
beef. That’s why Rinderpest has the potential
to be such an effective bioweapon, because it’s an extremely contagious and deadly
disease that attacks cattle. Considering how vital beef production is to
the economy and food supply of the United States, an attack of the thought-to-be-extinct
Rinderpest would be devastating. Cattle infected with the Rinderpest virus
suffer from a fever, followed by severe gastrointestinal discomfort that manifests in ulcers and diarrhoea. The cow will also release an infectious discharge
from its nose and mouth that risks infecting other nearby cattle by contaminating communal
water sources. The virus also causes serious damage to the
upper digestive and respiratory tract, followed by dehydration, and then death. The Rinderpest virus is a perfect example
of the variety of potential bioweapons. A direct offense against human targets isn’t
the only way to cause major infrastructural damage to an enemy. Yersinia Pestis (Plague)
Yersinia Pestis is a bacterium that causes perhaps the most terrifying and iconic infectious
disease of all time: The Plague. Spread largely through the Oriental Rat Flea,
and other small arthropods, the Yersinia Pestis is a highly infectious disease. The two different varieties of plague are
bubonic (known for killing most of Europe in the fourteenth century) and pneumonic. The incubation period for this disease is
a single day to a whole week, after which, you begin to experience some truly nightmarish
symptoms. In the bubonic plague, the lymph nodes in
the armpit inflame and inflate, creating large, painful “buboes” that later fill with
pus and develop agonizing open sores. In even more severe cases, the disease spreads
to the lungs, causing the pneumonic plague. This version of the plague is significantly
more infectious than the bubonic plague, and typically can only be successfully treated
if diagnosed within the twenty-four-hour incubation period. Otherwise, a painful death is pretty much
assured. Combatants capable of infecting people with
a hardy strain of Yersinia Pestis would truly be a force to be reckoned with. Ebola Virus
The other member of the Filovirus family, Zaire Ebolavirus – known colloquially as
Ebola – is an incredibly dangerous and infectious virus from Sub-Saharan Africa. Originating in animals such as apes and small
primates, Ebola spreads from human to human through infected bodily fluids like blood,
saliva, and faeces. The virus has no cure, and can only be treated
symptomatically until it leaves the system. This is a gruelling process, and if the medical
professionals treating you aren’t properly protected, their risk of infection is extremely
high. Traces of the virus can also linger on objects
for significantly longer than many other viruses, The symptoms of this virus are just as intimidating
as its biological resilience. These symptoms are divided into “dry”
and “wet” symptoms, progressing from one to the other as the disease worsens. Primary dry symptoms include fatigue, muscle
pain, and a high fever. Dangerously, at this stage, it’s often confused
with influenza. The wet symptoms are considerably more dangerous,
and harder to treat – diarrhoea, vomiting, and severe haemorrhaging. In some cases, it’s been known to have as
high as a 90% mortality rate. Meaning, if you contract Ebola, the odds are
extremely against you. If combatants utilised Ebola in a densely-populated
area, the results would likely be devastating. Francisella tularensis (Tularemia)
Francisella tularensis is a durable aerobic bacterium that causes the disease Tularemia. Typically, like the plague, the vector for
this disease’s transmission is a small arthropod – such as a mosquito or flea – drinking
the blood of an infected animal and then passing it on to a human victim. However, Pneumonic Tularemia – the lung-borne
variant of the disease – is a viable bioweapon because it can be transmitted through the
air and is extremely infectious. Aerosol-transmitted Tularemia is considered
one of the greatest biowarfare threats of the modern world. The symptoms of Tularemia also vary massively
depending on the particular bacterial strain the victim has been infected with – with
symptoms often being dependent on the means of transmission. For example, with ulceroglandular tularemia,
a large ulcer will develop at the site of infection and the lymph nodes will become
infected and swollen. Oropharyngeal tularemia occurs when the infection
happens after consuming infected food or drink, and results in swelling and ulcers in the
throat. But, the aforementioned Pneumonic strain results
in severe respiratory issues, eventually resulting in death. Hopefully nobody gets their hands on a canister
of aerosol Pneumonic tularemia any time soon. Variola Major (Smallpox)
Now, we’re getting into the bioweapon big leagues. According to the Center for Health Security,
Variola Major – the virus behind Smallpox – is an almost perfect bioweapon. It gives the following terrifying reasons:
The virus can spread between people. There is no official treatment for Smallpox. The fatality rate for those infected is extremely
high. Countries across the world no longer vaccinate
for Variola Major, because it’s thought to be practically extinct in the developed
world. The virus is stable in aerosol form, meaning
it’s easy to distribute. And the infectious dose is small, even by
viral standards. This cocktail of traits makes Variola Major
an ideal viral bioweapon. The actual symptomatic experience of Smallpox
is as terrifying as its capacity for biowarfare. The early stages involve high fever, muscle
aches, and vomiting. This sickness often leaves the victim bedridden. During the early stages of the rash that follows,
the victim is at their most infectious. Red bumps appear in the mouth, and rashes
start breaking out across the skin. These rashes become larger, pustular, and
highly infectious scabs that remain over the next four weeks, if the victim has survived. Sadly, most victims don’t make it that far. Bacillus Anthracis (Anthrax)
Saving the most infamous biological weapon for last, the Bacillus Anthracis bacterium,
and its resulting disease: Anthrax. Anthrax is a disease more synonymous with
biological warfare than being a naturally occurring result of bacteria. That’s because, outside of the context of
biological warfare, anthrax is an extremely rare disease. And yet, it’s consistently been a part of
several major countries’ biological warfare programs. Part of the appeal of Anthrax is how incredibly
hardy its spores are – capable of surviving decades in almost any environment with no
water or nutrients. Bacillus Anthracis is about as resilient as
a bioweapon can get, but that’s not where its merits as a bioweapon end. According to the Center for Health Security,
there are numerous factors that make Anthrax one of the most desirable tools of biowarfare. It’s possible to mass-produce in its highly
infectious aerosol form, inhalational anthrax has an overwhelmingly high mortality rate,
and strains of the disease have been antibiotic-resistant in the past. If you’re unlucky enough to be the victim
of an inhalation anthrax attack, you’re likely to experience an intense fever, swelling
of the throat and abdomen, nausea, stomach pain, fainting, and more. While there are treatments for anthrax, you
better hope you can get to a hospital quickly and get a proper diagnosis, or you probably
won’t live to tell the tale. Which of these do you think is the scariest
bioweapon? Let us know in the comments below. And for more infectiously good videos about
weaponry, why not check out “Weapons So Terrible They Had To Be Banned From War.” In the meantime, stay healthy. We’ll see you on the next episode of The
Infographics Show!
