Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, NYDOH, 120 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2012;354:181-95. doi: 10.1007/82_2011_122.
Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of biological toxins, pathogenic viruses, bacteria, parasites, or other infectious agents into the public sphere with the objective of causing panic, illness, and/or death on a local, regional, or possibly national scale. The list of potential biological agents compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is long and diverse. However, a trait common to virtually all the potential bioterrorism agents is the fact that they are likely to be disseminated by either aerosol or in food/water supplies with the intention of targeting the mucosal surfaces of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts, respectively. In some instances, inhalation or ingestion would mimic the natural route by which humans are exposed to these agents. In other instances, (e.g., the inhalation of a toxin is normally associated with food borne illness), it would represent an unnatural route of exposure. For most potential bioterrorism agents, the respiratory or gastrointestinal mucosa may simply serve as a route of entry by which they gain access to the systemic compartment where intoxication/replication occurs. For others, however, the respiratory or gastrointestinal mucosa is the primary tissue associated with pathogenesis, and therefore, the tissue for which countermeasures must be developed.
生物恐怖主义是故意将生物毒素、致病病毒、细菌、寄生虫或其他传染性病原体释放到公共领域，目的是在局部、区域甚至全国范围内引起恐慌、疾病和/或死亡。疾病预防控制中心编制的潜在生物制剂清单很长，种类繁多。然而，几乎所有潜在生物恐怖主义制剂的一个共同特征是，它们很可能通过气溶胶或食物/水源传播，分别针对呼吸道或胃肠道的黏膜表面。在某些情况下，吸入或摄入会模拟人类接触这些制剂的自然途径。在其他情况下（例如，吸入毒素通常与食源性疾病有关），这将代表一种非自然的暴露途径。对于大多数潜在的生物恐怖主义制剂，呼吸道或胃肠道黏膜可能只是它们进入系统腔的途径，在那里发生中毒/复制。然而，对于其他制剂，呼吸道或胃肠道黏膜是与发病机制相关的主要组织，因此，必须针对该组织开发对策。
