Biological Threat

Emergency Response and Terrorism

Information for Medical Professionals

• General Information
• Handbooks & Texts
• Pediatric Information

Category A Diseases/Agents (See definition)

• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Smallpox (variola major)  -  Smallpox Vaccine
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (filoviruses [e.g., Ebola, Marburg] and arenaviruses [e.g., Lassa, Machupo])

Category B Diseases/Agents (See definition)

• Brucellosis (Brucella species)
• Food Safety Threats (e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella)
• Glanders (Burkholderia mallei) and Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
• Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)
• Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii)
• Ricin and Abrin Poisoning
• Staph Enterotoxin B (SEB)
• Trichothecene Mycotoxins
• Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)
• Viral encephalitis (Alphaviruses - e.g., VEE, EEE, WEE)
• Water safety threats (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum)

Category C Diseases/Agents (See definition)

• Hantavirus
• Nipah Virus

• Listing of Sources and Acronyms

Category Definitions

The U.S. public health system and primary healthcare providers must be prepared to address various biological agents, including pathogens that are rarely seen in the United States.

Category A Diseases/Agents

High-priority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they

• can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person;
• result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact;
• might cause public panic and social disruption; and
• require special action for public health preparedness.

Category B Diseases/Agents

Second highest priority agents include those that

• 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.

Category C Diseases/Agents

Third highest priority agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of

• availability;
• ease of production and dissemination; and
• potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact.

For more information on the agent/disease selection and prioritization process, see Rotz LD, Khan AS, Lillibridge SR, et all. Public health assessment of potential biological terrorism agents. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8(2):225-30. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no2/01-0164.htm