Animal biowarfare research: historical perspective and potential future attacks

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Biosecurity
• Agricultural Economics

Background:

• Biological attacks on livestock and poultry present substantial economic threats, including animal loss, outbreak containment costs, and trade disruption.
• The livestock industry's vulnerability to biological agents is heightened by pathogens' environmental resilience and human travel facilitating disease spread.

Observation:

• Lethal, contagious pathogens are often endemic, environmentally resilient, and harmless to humans, simplifying terrorist acquisition and deployment.
• Concentrated animal populations in production facilities and frequent transport increase the risk of widespread infection from a single pathogen introduction.
• Global human travel complicates the exclusion of exotic animal diseases as potential bioterrorism agents.

Findings:

• Historically, governments have developed biological weapons targeting livestock and poultry.
• The spectrum of bioterrorism ranges from individual acts to state-sponsored attacks, potentially causing mass casualties in animals and humans.
• This review examines past biological weapon development and use, and outlines potential future attack scenarios.

Implications:

• Understanding the historical development and potential future use of biological weapons is critical for enhancing livestock biosecurity.
• Proactive strategies are needed to mitigate the economic and public health impacts of biological attacks on the agricultural sector.
• Effective biodefense requires addressing pathogen acquisition, containment, and the global movement of animals and people.