Selected Topics

Chapter Overview

Biological warfare involves the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm, or incapacitate humans, animals, or crops. The chapter provides a historical overview and assesses the current state of biological weapons, highlighting their catastrophic environmental and humanitarian impacts. Pathogens like Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Yersinia pestis (plague), and variola virus (smallpox) are discussed as agents of concern, classified by their transmission and lethality.

Biodefense encompasses the military and civilian measures designed to protect populations against biological threats. Effective biodefense relies on active surveillance and rapid detection systems, vaccine and therapeutic prevention, public health preparedness, and ongoing research and development. Strong biosafety and biosecurity protocols are critical in laboratory settings to prevent accidental release or theft of hazardous pathogens, ensuring research is conducted responsibly.

Emerging biotechnologies are reshaping research. The 'omics' fields provide global analyses of biological systems: genomics (study of genomes), transcriptomics (study of RNA transcripts), proteomics (study of proteins), and metabolomics (study of small molecule metabolites). Additionally, synthetic biology combines biology and engineering to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems. Applications of synthetic biology range from producing biofuels and pharmaceuticals to engineering pest-resistant crops and environmental biosensors. Understanding these selected topics is essential for HSSC-II SLO-based assessments.