Antimicrobials for Biological Warfare Agents

Biological warfare (BW) agents also cause natural human or animal diseases. The natural forms of these agents can often be treated successfully by using specific antimicrobial agents (for example, see Table 1 and Table 2). In many cases, the antimicrobial susceptibilities and perhaps the most efficacious therapy of the resultant infections are well-documented in the scientific literature. For some agents, however, natural susceptibilities and treatments are poorly documented, as is the case for human glanders. And although the development of antimicrobial resistance is a major concern, even for naturally acquired disease, it is far more of a concern for infectious agents developed as biological warfare agents, as recent advances in genetic engineering make intentional production of multiple antibiotic-resistant strains achievable at the microbiology graduate student level.