[Viruses, bacteria and toxins as biological warfare]

Biological weapons are an important part of the level of international threat. Technological development has made biological weapon production relatively simple and cheap, and although a UN convention from 1972 bans biological weapons, governments as well as non-governmental organisations or individuals have developed biological weapons for offensive use in war or terrorism. This article reviews the publically available literature, and clinical and therapeutic possibilities are described. The possibilities for protection of military and civilian groups are discussed and the need for a national contingency plan is emphasized.