How Yersinia pestis is used as biological weapon?

Plague as a Biological Weapon Y. pestis was developed as an aerosol weapon by several countries in the past. Aerosol dissemination of bacteria would cause primary pneumonic plague in the exposed population, an otherwise uncommon, highly lethal, and contagious form of plague.

Which vaccine is obtained from Yersinia pestis?

The plague vaccine licensed for use in the United States is prepared from Y. pestis organisms grown in artificial media, inactivated with formaldehyde, and preserved in 0.5% phenol. The vaccine contains trace amounts of beef-heart extract, yeast extract, agar, and peptones and peptides of soya and casein.

How was the plague used in biological warfare by the Mongols?

But the Mongols then ordered corpses to be put into catapults and thrown into the city, in hope that “the intolerable stench would kill everyone inside.” The residents of the city could not escape the infection of the rotting corpses, and they tried to throw the bodies into the sea. The disease killed people instantly.

What vaccine must be used for plague prevention?

Vaccination. Historically two types of plague vaccine have been available for use in humans, a killed whole-cell vaccine (KWC) and a live attenuated vaccine (LWC). Neither vaccine is currently licensed for use in the United States, although LWC is reportedly available in China and former Soviet Union countries.

Is there a vaccine against Y. pestis?

Plague is one of the world’s most lethal human diseases caused by Yersinia pestis, a Gram-negative bacterium. Despite overwhelming studies for many years worldwide, there is no safe and effective vaccine against this fatal disease.

How did Genghis Khan use biological warfare?

One of the first recorded uses of biological warfare occurred in 1347, when Mongol forces are reported to have catapulted plague-infested bodies over the walls into the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya, Ukraine), at that time a Genoese trade centre in the Crimean Peninsula.

Which is the most likely weaponized biological agent available?

Anthrax is the most likely agent to be used in a biological attack.

Is there a vaccine available for plague?

WHO found vaccine for plague?

The idea to develop vaccine against plague started by Alexandre Yersin in 1895 who investigated immunity against Y. pestis in small animal models in his laboratory. He evaluated heat-killed whole-cell vaccine, attenuated live strains of Y. pestis, by immunization in animals with repeated boosters (17).

What are biological agents examples?

Biological agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, other microorganisms and their associated toxins. They have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild, allergic reactions to serious medical conditions—even death.