Editing Biological agent (section)

==List of bio-agents of military importance==
:''The following pathogens and toxins were weaponized by one nation or another at some time. NATO [[CB military symbol|abbreviations]] are included where applicable.''

===Bacterial bio-agents===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disease
! Causative agent ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
|-
| [[Anthrax]]
| ''[[Bacillus anthracis]]'' (N or TR)
|-
| [[Brucellosis|Brucellosis (bovine)]]
| ''[[Brucella abortus]]''
|-
| [[Brucellosis|Brucellosis (caprine)]]
| ''[[Brucella melitensis]]'' (AM or BX)
|-
| [[Brucellosis|Brucellosis (porcine)]]
| ''[[Brucella suis]]'' (US, AB or NX)
|-
| [[Cholera]]
| ''[[Vibrio cholerae]]'' (HO)
|-
| [[Diphtheria]]
| ''[[Corynebacterium diphtheriae]]'' (DK)
|-
| [[Dysentery|Dysentery (bacterial)]]
| ''[[Shigella dysenteriae]]'', ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' (Y)
|-
| [[Glanders]]
| ''[[Burkholderia mallei]]'' (LA)
|-
| [[Listeriosis]]
| ''[[Listeria monocytogenes]]'' (TQ)
|-
| [[Melioidosis]]
| ''[[Burkholderia pseudomallei]]'' (HI)
|-
| [[Plague (disease)|Plague]]
| ''[[Yersinia pestis]]'' (LE)
|-
| [[Tularemia]]
| ''[[Francisella tularensis]]'' (SR or JT)
|}

===Chlamydial bio-agents===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disease
! Causative agent ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
|-
| [[Psittacosis]]
| ''[[Chlamydophila psittaci]]'' (SI)
|}

===Rickettsial bio-agents===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disease
! Causative agent ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
|-
| [[Q fever]]
| ''[[Coxiella burnetii]]'' (OU)
|-
| [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]]
| ''[[Rickettsia rickettsii]]'' (RI or UY)
|-
| [[Epidemic typhus|Typhus (human)]]
| ''[[Rickettsia prowazekii]]'' (YE)
|-
| [[Murine typhus|Typhus (murine)]]
| ''[[Rickettsia typhi]]'' (AV)
|}

===Viral bio-agents===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disease
! Causative agent ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
! Comments
|-
| [[Eastern equine encephalitis virus|Equine encephalitis (Eastern)]]
| [[Eastern equine encephalitis virus]] (ZX)
|
|-
| [[Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus|Equine encephalitis (Venezuelan)]]
| [[Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus]] (FX)
|
|-
| [[Western equine encephalitis virus|Equine encephalitis (Western)]]
| [[Western equine encephalitis virus]] (EV)
|
|-
| [[Japanese B encephalitis]]
| [[Japanese encephalitis virus]] (AN)
|
|-
| [[Marburg virus disease|Marburg hemorrhagic fever]] (Marburg HF)
| [[Marburg virus]] (MARV)
| by the Soviet Union<ref>[[Kenneth Alibek]] and S. Handelman. ''Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World - Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran it''. 1999. Delta (2000) {{ISBN|0-385-33496-6}}.</ref>
|-
| [[Rift Valley fever]]
| [[Rift Valley fever|Rift Valley fever virus]] (FA)
|
|-
| [[Smallpox]]
| [[Variola virus]] (ZL)
|
|-
| [[Yellow fever]]
| [[Yellow fever virus]] (OJ or LU)
|
|}

===Mycotic bio-agents===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disease
! Causative agent ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
|-
| [[Coccidioidomycosis]]
| ''[[Coccidioides immitis]]'' (OC)
|}

===Biological toxins===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Toxin
! Source of toxin ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
|-
|[[Abrin]]
|[[Rosary pea]] (''Abrus precatorius)''
|-
| [[Botulinum toxin|Botulinum toxins (A through G)]]
| ''Clostridium botulinum'' bacteria or spores, and several other Clostridial species. (X or XR)
|-
| [[Ricin]]
| [[Castor bean]] (''Ricinus communis'') (W or WA)
|-
| [[Saxitoxin]]
| Various marine and brackish cyanobacteria, such as ''[[Anabaena]]'', ''[[Aphanizomenon]]'', ''[[Lyngbya]]'', and ''[[Cylindrospermopsis]]'' (TZ)
|-
| [[Staphylococcal enterotoxin B]]
| ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]'' (UC or PG)
|-
| [[Tetrodotoxin]]
| Various marine bacteria, including ''[[Vibrio alginolyticus]]'', ''[[Pseudoalteromonas tetraodonis]]'' (PP)
|-
| [[Trichothecene]] [[mycotoxins]]
| Various species of fungi, including ''[[Fusarium]]'', ''[[Trichoderma]]'', and ''[[Stachybotrys]]''
|}

===Biological vectors===
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Vector ([[chemical weapon designation|military symbol]])
! Disease
|-
| [[Mosquito]] (''[[Aedes aegypti]]'') (AP)
| [[Malaria]], [[Dengue fever]], [[chikungunya]], [[yellow fever]], other [[arbovirus]]es
|-
| [[Oriental flea]] (''[[Xenopsylla cheopis]]'')
| [[Plague (disease)|Plague]], [[murine typhus]]
|}

===Simulants===
Simulants are organisms or substances which mimic physical or biological properties of real biological agents, without being pathogenic. They are used to study the efficiency of various dissemination techniques or the risks caused by the use of biological agents in [[bioterrorism]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nightferry.wordpress.com/biological-warfare-bw-simulants-%E2%80%93-bacillus-globigii-bg/|title=Biological Warfare (BW) Simulants – ''Bacillus globigii'' (BG)|date=2010-02-05|work=The Night Ferry|access-date=2017-04-03|language=en-US}}</ref> To simulate dispersal, attachment or the penetration depth in human or animal lungs, simulants must have particle sizes, specific weight and surface properties, similar to the simulated biological agent.

The typical size of simulants (1–5&nbsp;μm) enables it to enter buildings with closed windows and doors and penetrate deep into the lungs. This bears a significant health risk, even if the biological agent is normally not pathogenic.
* ''[[Bacillus globigii]]'' (historically named ''Bacillus subtilis'' in the context of bio-agent simulants) (BG, BS, or U)
* ''[[Serratia marcescens]]'' (SM or P)
* ''[[Aspergillus fumigatus]]'' mutant C-2 (AF)
* ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' (EC)
* ''[[Bacillus thuringiensis]]'' (BT)
* ''Erwinia herbicola'' (current accepted name: ''[[Pantoea agglomerans]])'' (EH)
* Fluorescent particles such as [[zinc cadmium sulfide]], ZnCdS (FP)