Biological weapons assignment: Due Monday April 18

Choose one of the following (or another organism or toxin produced by an organism that could potentially be used as a biological weapon). Find this list also on page 4 of your book.

anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)

botulism (Clostridium botulinum)

brucellosis (Brucella melitensis)

cholera (Vibrio cholera)

Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever (virus)

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (virus)

melioidosis (Pseudomonas pseudomallei)

plague (Yersinia pestis)

Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)

Rift Valley fever (virus)

Smallpox (variola virus)

Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)

Has this organism or toxin been used as a weapon? If so how? How does it work (for example – does it work as a neurotoxin? enterotoxin? Or is it a virus or a bacteria that works on the cell? If it works on the cell, what does it do?

Also, how is it transmitted?

This should be about a page long (in your own writing!) and don’t forget the citations!