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Background: As noted in a previous pearl (November 5, 2014), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies potential bioterrorism agents into three categories. Category B & C agents are of less priority than the previously discussed Category A agents.
Category B: Second highest priority agents. These agents:
- are moderately easy to disseminate;
- result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates; and
- require specific enhancements of CDC's diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance.
These Agents/Diseases include:
•Brucellosis (Brucella species)
•Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens
•Food safety threats (e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella)
•Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
•Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
•Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)
•Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
•Ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans)
•Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
•Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)
•Viral encephalitis (alphaviruses [e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis])
•Water safety threats (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum)
Category C agents: Third highest priority agents. These include emerging pathogens, such as hantavirus and Nipah virus, which could be potentially engineered for mass dissemination in the future.
Bottom Line: While in general of less concern, bioterrorism agents in Category B & C remain of significant risk. Many of these diseases still occur in various parts of the globe including the United States.
References
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist-category.asp