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What type of biological agent is smallpox?
The CDC has classified 6 biological agents as Category A. They are listed below. Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease.
What category is smallpox in?
Smallpox is considered a category A biological disease.
Is smallpox a bioterrorism agent?
Although smallpox was eradicated in 1980, it remains a potential agent of biowarfare and bioterrorism. It is considered a category A organism, which is easy to disseminate and transmit from person to person.
What type of pathogen is smallpox caused by?
Before smallpox was eradicated, it was a serious infectious disease caused by the variola virus. It was contagious—meaning, it spread from one person to another. People who had smallpox had a fever and a distinctive, progressive skin rash.
What are the 3 biological agents?
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.
What is the scientific name of smallpox?
Related Pages. Thousands of years ago, variola virus (smallpox virus) emerged and began causing illness and deaths in human populations, with smallpox outbreaks occurring from time to time.
Is smallpox RNA or DNA?
Smallpox is a double-stranded, 135- to 375-kilobase (kb) DNA virus that replicates in the cytoplasm of the host cell and forms B-type inclusion bodies (Guarnieri bodies). This is in contrast to herpes viruses, which replicate in the nucleus. The orthopoxviruses are among the largest and most complex of all viruses.
Is anthrax a biological agent?
Anthrax as a weapon Biological agents are germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops. Anthrax is one of the most likely agents to be used because: Anthrax spores are easily found in nature, can be produced in a lab, and can last for a long time in the environment.
Was the smallpox virus man made?
But developments in synthetic biology, a field which includes the art and science of constructing viral genomes, have made it possible to create the smallpox virus in a lab. While there’s no evidence that anyone has done that yet, as Tonix’s work indicates, researchers are inching incredibly close to that line.
Why is smallpox considered a high priority bioterrorism agent?
Smallpox, because of its high case-fatality rates and transmissibility, now represents one of the most serious bioterrorist threats to the civilian population. Smallpox is considered a category A biological disease.
What is the causative agent of chickenpox?
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
Is smallpox a retrovirus?
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The agent of variola virus (VARV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus….
| Smallpox | |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms and confirmed by PCR |
| Differential diagnosis | Chickenpox, impetigo, molluscum contagiosum, monkeypox |