Method of using bacteriological biological weapons. Bacteriological (biological) weapons

Bacteriological weapons are a means of mass destruction of people, farm animals and plants. Its action is based on the use of pathogenic properties of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi, as well as toxins produced by some bacteria). Bacteriological weapons include formulations of pathogenic organisms.

Bacteriological weapons are capable of causing mass diseases in humans and animals over vast areas; they have a damaging effect over a long period of time and have a long latent (incubation) period of action.

Microbes and toxins are difficult to detect in the external environment; they can penetrate with the air into unsealed shelters and rooms and infect people and animals in them.

Signs of the use of bacteriological weapons are:

1) the dull sound of shells and bombs exploding, unusual for conventional ammunition;

2) the presence of large fragments and individual parts of ammunition in places of explosions;

3) the appearance of drops of liquid or powdery substances on the ground;

4) unusual accumulation of insects and mites in areas where ammunition ruptures and containers fall;

5) mass diseases of people and animals.

The use of bacterial agents can be determined using laboratory tests.

Methods of using bacterial agents

Methods of using bacteriological weapons, as a rule, are:

Aviation bombs

Artillery mines and shells

Packages (bags, boxes, containers) dropped from aircraft

Special devices that disperse insects from aircraft.

Sabotage methods.

In some cases, to spread infectious diseases

When retreating, the enemy may leave behind contaminated household items: clothing, food, cigarettes, etc. The disease in this case can occur as a result of direct contact with contaminated objects.

Another form of spread of pathogens is possible, such as

deliberate abandonment of infectious patients during departure so that they become a source of infection among troops and the population.

If ammunition filled with a bacterial formulation ruptures,

a bacterial cloud is formed, consisting of tiny droplets of liquid or solid particles suspended in the air. Cloud spreading over

wind, dissipates and settles on the ground, forming a contaminated area, the area of ​​which depends on the amount of the formulation, its properties and speed

Features of damage by bacterial agents

When affected by bacterial agents, the disease does not occur

immediately, there is almost always a latent (incubation) period, during

in which the disease does not manifest itself by external signs, and the affected person does not lose combat capability. Some diseases (plague, smallpox, cholera) can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person and, spreading quickly, cause epidemics.

It is quite difficult to establish the fact of the use of bacterial agents and determine the type of pathogen, since neither microbes nor toxins have any color, smell, or taste, and the effect of their action can appear after a long period of time. Detection of bacterial agents is possible only through special laboratory tests, which takes considerable time, and this complicates the timely implementation of measures to prevent epidemic diseases.

Characteristics of bacterial agents, methods of protection against them.

Causative agents of various infectious diseases can be used as bacterial agents: plague, anthrax, brucellosis, glanders, tularemia, cholera, yellow and other types of fever, spring-summer encephalitis, typhus and typhoid fever, influenza, malaria, dysentery, smallpox and others. In addition, botulinum toxin can be used, which causes severe poisoning of the human body.

To infect animals, along with the pathogens of anthrax and glanders, it is possible to use viruses of foot-and-mouth disease, cattle and bird plague, swine cholera, etc.; for the destruction of agricultural plants - pathogens of cereal rust, late blight, potatoes and some other diseases.

Infection of people and animals occurs as a result of inhalation of contaminated air, contact with microbes and toxins on the mucous membrane and damaged skin, consumption of contaminated food and water, bites of infected insects and ticks, contact with a contaminated object, injury from fragments of ammunition filled with bacterial agents, and also as a result of direct communication with sick people (animals). A number of diseases are quickly transmitted from sick people to healthy people and cause epidemics (plague, cholera, typhoid, influenza, etc.).

A ) Plague- acute infectious disease. The causative agent is a microbe that is not highly resistant outside the body; in human sputum, it remains viable for up to 10 days. The incubation period is 1 - 3 days. The disease begins acutely: general weakness, chills, headache appear, the temperature quickly rises, and consciousness becomes darkened.

The most dangerous is the so-called pneumonic form of plague. Getting sick with it

possible by inhaling air containing the plague pathogen. Signs of the disease: along with a severe general condition, chest pain and cough with the release of large amounts of sputum with plague bacteria appear; the patient's strength quickly falls, loss of consciousness occurs; death occurs as a result of increasing cardiovascular weakness. The disease lasts from 2 to 4 days.

b) Cholera- an acute infectious disease characterized by severe course and a tendency to spread rapidly. The causative agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae, is poorly resistant to the external environment and persists in water for several months. The incubation period for cholera lasts from several hours to 6 days, on average 1 - 3 days.

The main signs of cholera are: vomiting, diarrhea; convulsions; emetics

The masses and feces of a cholera patient take the form of rice water. WITH

Through liquid bowel movements and vomiting, the patient loses a large amount of fluid, quickly loses weight, and his body temperature drops to 35 degrees. In severe cases, the disease can result in death.

c) Anthrax is an acute disease that mainly affects

farm animals, and from them can be transmitted to people. The causative agent of anthrax enters the body through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and damaged skin. The disease occurs within 1–3 days; it occurs in three forms: pulmonary, intestinal and cutaneous.

The pulmonary form of anthrax is a kind of inflammation of the lungs: the body temperature rises sharply, a cough with high

division of bloody sputum, cardiac activity weakens and with

Without treatment, death occurs within 2-3 days.

Types and properties of bacteriological weapons

Basic concepts about bacteriological (biological) weapons

Bacteriological (biological) weapons are a means of mass destruction of people, animals, destruction of enemy crops and military equipment. The basis of its damaging effect is bacteriological agents, which include pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi) and toxins produced by bacteria.

Bacteriological (biological) weapons are special ammunition and military devices with delivery systems, equipped with bacteriological agents.

The following can be used as bacteriological agents:

1) to kill people:

causative agents of bacteriological diseases (plague, tularemia, brucellosis, anthrax, cholera); pathogens of viral diseases (smallpox, yellow fever, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis); pathogens of rickettsial diseases (typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever); pathogens of fungal diseases (coccidiodomycosis, pocardiosis, histoplasmosis);

2) to kill animals:

pathogens of foot and mouth disease, rinderpest, swine fever, anthrax, glanders, African swine fever, false rabies and other diseases;

3) to destroy plants:

pathogens of cereal rust, potato late blight, late wilting of corn and other crops; insect pests of agricultural plants; phytotoxicants, defoliants, herbicides and other chemicals.

Methods of using bacteriological agents

Methods of using bacteriological (biological) weapons, as a rule, are:

Aviation bombs
- artillery mines and shells
- packages (bags, boxes, containers) dropped from aircraft
- special devices that disperse insects from aircraft
- sabotage methods.

The main method of using bacteriological agents is contamination of the ground layer of air. When ammunition filled with a bacteriological formulation ruptures, a bacteriological cloud is formed, consisting of tiny droplets of liquid or solid particles suspended in the air. The cloud, spreading with the wind, dissipates and settles on the ground, forming an infected area, the area of ​​which depends on the amount of the formulation, its properties and wind speed.

In some cases, to spread infectious diseases, the enemy may leave contaminated household items when retreating: clothing, food, cigarettes, etc. The disease in this case can occur as a result of direct contact with contaminated objects.

Another possible form of spreading pathogens is the deliberate abandonment of infectious patients during departure so that they become a source of infection among troops and the population.

Types and properties of basic bacteriological agents

Pathogenic microorganisms are causative agents of infectious diseases in humans and animals. Depending on the size of the structure and biological properties, they are divided into the following classes:

1) bacteria
2) viruses
3) rickettsia
4) spirochete fungi and protozoa

The last two classes of microorganisms are of no importance as biological weapons, according to experts in the field of biological weapons.

1) Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms of plant nature, very diverse in their form. The main forms of bacteria: staphylococci, diplococci, streptococci, rod-shaped, vibrio, spirillum.

Their sizes vary from 0.5 to 8-10 microns. Bacteria in vegetative form, i.e. in the form of growth and development, they are very sensitive to the effects of high temperature, sunlight, sudden fluctuations in humidity and disinfectants and, on the contrary, remain sufficiently stable at low temperatures even down to minus 15-25 ° C. Some types of bacteria, in order to survive in unfavorable conditions, are able to become covered with a protective capsule or form a spore. Microbes in spore form are very resistant to drying out, lack of nutrients, high and low temperatures and disinfectants. Among pathogenic bacteria, the causative agents of anthrax, botulism, tetanus, etc. have the ability to form spores. According to literary sources, almost all types of bacteria used as means of destruction are relatively easy to grow on artificial nutrient media, and their mass production is possible with the help of equipment and processes used by industry in the production of antibiotics, vitamins and modern fermentation products. The class of bacteria includes the causative agents of most of the most dangerous human diseases, such as plague, cholera, anthrax, glanders, meliodia, etc.

4) Fungi are unicellular or multicellular microorganisms of plant origin. Their sizes vary from 3 to 50 microns or more. Fungi can form spores that are highly resistant to freezing, drying, sunlight and disinfectants. Diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are called mycoses. Among them are such severe infectious diseases of people as coccidioidomycosis, blaotomycosis, histoplasmosis, etc.

Bacteriological agents include pathogenic microbes and the toxins they produce.

The following disease agents can be used to equip bacteriological (biological) weapons:

1) Plague is an acute infectious disease. The causative agent is a microbe that is not highly resistant outside the body; in human sputum, it remains viable for up to 10 days. The incubation period is 1 - 3 days. The disease begins acutely: general weakness, chills, headache appear, the temperature quickly rises, and consciousness becomes darkened. The most dangerous is the so-called pneumonic form of plague. It can be contracted by inhaling air containing the plague pathogen. Signs of the disease: along with a severe general condition, chest pain and cough with the release of large amounts of sputum with plague bacteria appear; the patient's strength quickly falls, loss of consciousness occurs; death occurs as a result of increasing cardiovascular weakness. The disease lasts from 2 to 4 days.

2) Cholera is an acute infectious disease characterized by a severe course and a tendency to spread rapidly. The causative agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae, is poorly resistant to the external environment and persists in water for several months. The incubation period for cholera lasts from several hours to 6 days, on average 1 - 3 days. The main signs of cholera are: vomiting, diarrhea; convulsions; The vomit and feces of a cholera patient take the form of rice water. With liquid bowel movements and vomiting, the patient loses a large amount of fluid, quickly loses weight, and his body temperature drops to 35 degrees. In severe cases, the disease can result in death.

3) Anthrax is an acute infectious disease that mainly affects farm animals, and from them can be transmitted to people. The causative agent of anthrax enters the body through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and damaged skin. The disease occurs within 1 - 3 days; it occurs in three forms: pulmonary, intestinal and cutaneous. The pulmonary form of anthrax is a kind of inflammation of the lungs: the body temperature rises sharply, a cough appears with the release of bloody sputum, cardiac activity weakens and, if untreated, death occurs after 2-3 days. The intestinal form of the disease manifests itself in ulcerative lesions of the intestines, acute abdominal pain, blood vomiting, diarrhea; death occurs after 3 - 4 days. With cutaneous anthrax, exposed areas of the body (arms, legs, neck, face) are most often affected. At the site where the pathogen microbes enter, an itchy spot appears, which after 12 - 15 hours turns into a blister with a cloudy or bloody liquid. The bubble soon bursts, forming a black scab, around which new bubbles appear, increasing the size of the scab to 6 - 9 centimeters in diameter (carbuncle). The carbuncle is painful, and massive swelling forms around it. If the carbuncle ruptures, blood poisoning and death are possible. If the course of the disease is favorable, after 5 - 6 days the patient’s temperature decreases, the painful phenomena gradually disappear.

4) Botulism is an infectious disease caused by botulinum toxin, which is one of the most powerful poisons currently known. Infection can occur through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, damaged skin and mucous membranes. The incubation period is from 2 hours to a day. Botulism toxin affects the central nervous system, the vagus nerve and the nervous system of the heart; The disease is characterized by neuroparalytic phenomena. Initially, general weakness, dizziness, pressure in the epigastric region, and gastrointestinal disorders appear; then paralytic phenomena develop: paralysis of the main muscles, muscles of the tongue, soft palate, larynx, facial muscles; subsequently, paralysis of the muscles of the stomach and intestines is observed, resulting in flatulence and persistent constipation. The patient's body temperature is usually below normal. In severe cases, death may occur within a few hours of onset as a result of respiratory paralysis.

5) Meliodia is an infectious disease of humans and rodents, similar to glanders. The causative agent, due to its similarity with glanders, is called the false glanders bacillus. The microbe is a thin rod, does not form spores, has mobility due to the presence of a bundle of flagella at one end, is resistant to drying, and at a temperature of 26-28 degrees remains viable in soil for up to a month, in water for more than 40 days. Sensitive to disinfectants and high temperatures - under their influence it dies in a few minutes. Meliodia is a little-known disease found in Southeast Asian countries. The carriers are small rodents in which the disease occurs in a chronic form. The pus, feces and urine of sick animals contain many pathogens of meliodia. Humans become infected by consuming food and water contaminated with secretions of sick rodents. As with glanders, the disease can enter the body through damaged skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, etc. With artificial propagation, i.e. If this disease is used as a component of a biological weapon, meliodia microbes can be dispersed into the air or used to contaminate food and food products. The possibility of meliodia infecting humans with meliodia cannot be ruled out, although no such facts have been noted. Patients are subject to isolation due to the similarity of the symptoms of meliodia with other diseases. Manifestations of the disease in humans are varied and can occur in 3 stages. the disease begins within a few days.

6) Glanders is a chronic disease of horses, rarely camels, cats and humans, caused by the glanders bacterium. Symptoms: specific nodules, and then ulcers in the respiratory organs and on the skin. Infection occurs through contact with sick animals. Sick animals are destroyed. On the territory of the Russian Federation, glanders has been eliminated for a long time, but there is a danger that it could be used as a bacteriological (biological) weapon.

Criteria for assessing the likelihood of using bioagents

The main part of biological agents used as bacteriological (biological) weapons can be used in connection with the following parameters:

Human sensitivity
infectious dose value
routes of infection
contagiousness (infectiousness)
sustainability in the environment
severity of injury
possibility of cultivation
Availability of means of prevention, treatment, diagnosis
possibility of covert use
possibility of genetic modification

Based on a set of criteria, the main bioagents pathogenic to humans (bacteria, viruses, toxins) were analyzed and the results of the analysis made it possible to assign a rating to each bioagent, i.e. the sum of points characterizing the degree of likelihood of being used as a bacteriological (biological) weapon. In accordance with the rating, bioagents were divided into 3 groups (see table): bioagents with a high probability of being used as bacteriological (biological) weapons (I-group); bioagents, the use of which as bacteriological (biological) weapons is possible (group 2), and bioagents that are unlikely to be used as bacteriological (biological) weapons (group 3).

Table of distribution of bioagents according to the likelihood of being used as bacteriological (biological) weapons

Consequently, the main attention should be paid to bioagents of the first and partially second group. In the first group, the causative agents of contagious infections, primarily smallpox and plague, are especially dangerous, which can cause global epidemics (pandemics) with numerous victims, paralyze the activities of the country and entire continents due to the need to introduce strict quarantine.

The most threatened virus for sabotage purposes is the variola virus. As is known, the collection of smallpox virus, on the recommendation of WHO, is securely stored in the USA and Russia. However, there is information that the virus is stored uncontrolled (not destroyed) in some countries and can spontaneously (or maybe intentionally) leave laboratories.

Due to the abolition of vaccination in 1980, the world's population lost immunity to smallpox. The production of vaccines and diagnostic drugs in the required quantities has been stopped, there are practically no effective treatments, and the mortality rate in those not vaccinated is 30%. Smallpox is easily transmitted from a patient to a healthy one, and the long incubation period (up to 17 days) contributes to the spontaneous spread of infection over large regions due to modern fast and numerous means of communication.

Study questions

1. Brief historical background

The causative agents of infectious diseases have been used for military purposes for a very long time. For example, in 1346, a plague epidemic arose among the Genoese during the siege of the Kafa fortress (on the site of the present city of Feodosia) by the besiegers throwing the corpses of people who died from the plague over the ramparts of the fortress.

The idea of ​​using pathogenic microorganisms as means of destruction arose due to the fact that infectious diseases constantly claimed many human lives, and the epidemics that accompanied wars caused large losses among troops, sometimes predetermining the outcome of battles or even entire campaigns. For example, out of 27 thousand English soldiers who participated in 1741 in the aggressive campaigns in Mexico and Peru. 20 thousand died from yellow fever. From 1733 to 1865, 8 million people died in wars in Europe, of which only 1.5 million were combat losses, and 6.5 million died from infectious diseases.

Nowadays, it is difficult to even imagine the consequences of the deliberate spread of infectious disease agents if the population does not know the control and protection measures and clearly and consistently implement them. For this, it is worth recalling examples of epidemic diseases, for example, the tragedy of the year. Then, out of 500 million people who fell ill with the flu, 20 million died, that is, almost 2 times more than were killed during the entire First World War.

In the years preceding the Second World War, the most intensive work in the field of creating bacteriological weapons was carried out by the Japanese. In the occupied territory of Manchuria, they created two large research centers that had experimental sites where biological agents were tested not only on laboratory animals, but also on prisoners of war and the civilian population of China.

Since 1941, work has been actively carried out in the United States on the creation and possible use of biological agents for military purposes, a special military scientific research service was created, large research laboratories were built, experimental laboratories in the state of Mississippi, enterprises for the production of biological agents and their storage in the state of Arkansas , a test site in Utah and a number of other facilities. Most of the work on the creation of bacteriological weapons was carried out in the strictest secrecy.

A great victory for progressive forces around the world was the adoption in 1972 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological Weapons and on Their Destruction.

It is necessary to emphasize such a feature of biological weapons as the possibility of reverse action. The use of a number of the most virulent pathogens of contagious (infectious) diseases creates the danger of defeating friendly troops and the population. For this reason, for example, the advisability of using the plague pathogen and some others is questioned. More acceptable are anthrax, yellow fever, tularemia, brucellosis, Q fever and Venezuelan encephalomyelitis. Anthrax and yellow fever usually kill people within a few weeks without treatment. Brucellosis, Q fever and Venezuelan encephalomyelitis are rarely fatal, but the illnesses they cause last more than 2-3 months.

2. Bacteriological (biological) weapons

Bacteriological (biological) weapons (BW) are weapons of mass destruction and are intended to kill people, farm animals and plants, and to contaminate food supplies, fodder and water.

Bacteriological weapons can be used by aircraft, missiles, artillery shells, mines and sabotage in the form of liquid or dry (powdery) formulations, aerosols containing pathogens of various diseases, as well as by the spread of insects and rodents.

The most likely targets for the use of BO may be: large administrative and industrial centers, railway junctions and stations, sea and river ports, water supply sources; food depots and warehouses, etc.

Human infection can occur as a result of inhalation of contaminated air, contact of microbes and toxins with mucous membranes, consumption of contaminated food and water, as well as as a result of bites of infected insects (rodents) and direct contact with sick people.

The main signs of the use of biological weapons are: the wake of a low-flying aircraft, dull explosions of bombs (shells) with the formation of a cloud, drops or powdery substance on the soil, the appearance of a significant number of insects or varieties of them that were not previously found in the area, as well as mass disease people or animal deaths. When using sabotage weapons, infection occurs covertly, without obvious external signs. The latent period ranges from several hours to several days and depends on the type of disease.

The characteristic features of BO include:

The ability to infect people and animals with negligible doses;

The presence of a latent period of the disease;

Maintain damaging properties for a long time;

The ability of many diseases to be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy body;

Difficulty in detecting pathogens of infectious diseases;

Strong psychological impact, etc.

The basis of the damaging effect of bacteriological weapons are bacterial agents: pathogenic microbes (bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi) and toxins (poisons) produced by some bacteria.

Bacteria are microorganisms of plant origin, invisible to the naked eye, multiply very quickly by simple division and are capable of causing severe epidemiological diseases. Bacteria die from exposure to sunlight, disinfectants and boiling.

Toxins are powerful poisons produced by bacteria.

Only those microbes that are resistant to drying, have the ability to infect with minimal doses, quickly cause severe diseases, and are difficult to recognize and, consequently, to treat can be used as bacterial agents.

These include pathogens: plague, anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, glanders, melisodosis, smallpox, botulinum toxin and other particularly dangerous infectious diseases.

When using aerosols, the air becomes infected, forming a bacterial cloud, which, under the influence of wind, can spread over considerable distances, creating vast areas of infection with an area of ​​​​several hundred square kilometers.

Bacteria-infected areas and all environmental objects can be dangerous for several hours, days and even weeks. The settled aerosols can rise again with rising air currents and remain for some time in the surface layers of the atmosphere. Due to their small size, biological aerosols, like coal dust, can easily enter a room through window cracks, open vents or loosely closed doors.

Through the respiratory tract, a person can become infected with many infections, even those that are not transmitted naturally through the air.

3. Characteristics of infectious diseases

Plague– an acute infectious disease of humans and some animals. The causative agent of plague is the plague microbe (bacillus). Under natural conditions, this is a disease of wild rodents (gophers, jerboas, rats, etc.), which is spread among animals by fleas. After drinking the blood of a sick animal, they become infectious. Periodically occurring among wild rodents in certain places, the plague persists in these primary natural foci. The spread of infection to rats and mice, as well as domestic animals, the emergence of plague from a natural focus and spread beyond its borders is dangerous for people.

Human infection occurs through the skin and mucous membranes through contact with sick animals (when skinning and cutting up carcasses) or through a bite from an infected flea. From person to person, the plague is transmitted through the air (with pulmonary disease), through fleas and infected things of the patient. The source of infection can also be the corpses of people who died from the plague. The incubation (latent) period is 2-6 days. The disease is accompanied by general severe intoxication, damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems. There are bubonic, cutaneous, pneumonic and septicemic forms of plague. A person suffering from its pulmonary form poses an exceptional danger to others. Patients are hospitalized in special medical institutions.

The population in the focus of bacteriological damage must strictly comply with all the requirements of the civil defense medical service. The speed of eliminating an outbreak largely depends on the organization of the population.

Infectious patients are transported, as a rule, by ambulance or specially adapted vehicles. It is forbidden to transport sick people together with the wounded, as well as patients with various infectious diseases, in the same vehicle. It is prohibited to transport infectious patients on passing transport.

When transporting infectious patients, it is necessary to have dishes to collect the patient’s secretions, disinfectants to disinfect these secretions and hands, as well as medicines to provide emergency assistance. Those accompanying infectious patients must strictly observe precautionary measures: wear gowns over their clothes and bandages on their heads; Cover your nose and mouth with a respirator or cotton-gauze bandage. Having delivered the patient to a medical facility, the accompanying persons undergo complete sanitary treatment. Transport is disinfected in the hospital where the sick person was taken.

Classification, means and methods of using bacterial agents. External signs of the use of biological weapons

Classification of bacteriological agents

The enemy can use the following as biological agents (means):

To affect humans - botulinum toxin, staphylococcal enterotoxin, causative agents of plague, tularemia, anthrax, yellow fever, Q fever, brucellosis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and other diseases;

For the destruction of farm animals - pathogens of anthrax, glanders, foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, etc.;

For the destruction of agricultural crops - pathogens of cereal rust, potato late blight and other diseases.

To destroy grain and industrial crops, one can expect the enemy to deliberately use insects - the most dangerous pests of agricultural crops, such as locusts, Colorado potato beetles, etc.

Microorganisms, including pathogens of infectious diseases, depending on their size, structure and biological properties, are divided into the following classes: bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi.

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms visible only under a microscope; reproduce by simple division. They quickly die from exposure to direct sunlight, disinfectants and high temperatures. Bacteria are insensitive to low temperatures and can even tolerate freezing. Some types of bacteria, in order to survive in unfavorable conditions, are able to become covered with a protective capsule or turn into a spore that is highly resistant to these factors. Bacteria cause such serious diseases as plague, tularemia, anthrax, glanders, etc.

Fungi- microorganisms that differ from bacteria in a more complex structure and methods of reproduction. Fungal spores are highly resistant to drying, exposure to sunlight and disinfectants. Diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are characterized by damage to internal organs with a severe and long-lasting course.

Microbial toxins- waste products of certain types of bacteria that are highly toxic. When these products enter the body of humans or animals with food or water, these products cause severe, often fatal, poisoning.

The most dangerous known bacterial toxin is botulinum toxin, which leads to death in 60-70% of cases in the absence of timely treatment. Toxins, especially in dried form, are quite resistant to freezing, fluctuations in relative air humidity and do not lose their damaging properties in the air for up to 12 hours. Toxins are destroyed by prolonged boiling and exposure to disinfectants.

When a certain amount of a toxin enters the body, it causes a form of disease called poisoning or intoxication.

Penetration of toxins into the body occurs mainly in three ways: through the gastrointestinal tract, the wound surface and the lungs. From the site of primary penetration, they are carried by blood to all organs and tissues. The toxin in the blood is partially neutralized by special cells of the immune system or specific antibodies that are produced by the body in response to the introduction of the toxin. In addition, the detoxification process takes place in the liver, where the toxin enters through the bloodstream. Removal of neutralized toxin from the body in most cases is carried out by the kidneys.

Manifestations of the toxic effects of microbial toxins are different and are associated with their predominant damage to certain organs and those changes in the body that arise due to dysfunction of these organs.

Certain toxins affect nervous tissue, block the conduction of impulses along nerve fibers, disrupting the regulatory influence of the nervous system on muscles, resulting in paralysis.

Other toxins, acting primarily in the intestines, disrupt the absorption process of fluid, which, on the contrary, exits into the intestinal lumen, resulting in diarrhea and dehydration.

In addition, toxins act on various internal organs, where they penetrate with the blood, disrupting cardiac activity, liver and kidney functions. A number of toxins, when in the blood, can have a direct damaging effect on blood cells and blood vessels and disrupt blood clotting processes.

Means and methods of using bacterial agents

The effectiveness of BOs depends not only on the damaging abilities of pathogens, but also to a large extent on the correct choice of methods and means of their use.

The following methods of using BO are possible:

Pollution of the ground layer of air by spraying biological formulations (pathogens);

Aerosol method;

Dispersion of artificially infected blood-sucking disease carriers in the target area is a vector-borne method;

Direct contamination by biological means of weapons and military equipment, water supply systems (water sources), catering units, food in warehouses, as well as air in rooms and objects of importance with the help of sabotage equipment - a sabotage method.

The most effective and probable way to use biological agents is to create a biological aerosol using small bombs loaded into disposable bomb clusters, containers, warheads of guided and cruise missiles, as well as through various spraying devices (airborne pouring and spraying devices, mechanical aerosol generators), installed on airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, balloons, ships, submarines, and ground vehicles.

Airborne pouring and spraying devices make it possible to achieve aerosol contamination of ground air over large areas.

Disposable bomb clusters and containers can contain several dozen or even hundreds of small biological bombs. The dispersion of small bombs makes it possible to simultaneously and evenly cover large-sized objects with an aerosol. The transfer of a biological formulation to a combat state is carried out by the explosion of an explosive charge.

The vector-borne method involves the deliberate dispersal of artificially infected vectors into a given area. The method is based on the ability of blood-sucking carriers to easily perceive, preserve for a long time, and through bites and secretions transmit pathogens of a number of diseases dangerous to humans and animals. Thus, certain types of mosquitoes transmit yellow fever, fleas - plague, lice - typhus, ticks - Q fever, encephalitis, tularemia, etc. The influence of weather conditions is determined only by their impact on the life activity of carriers. It is believed that the use of infected vectors is most likely at temperatures of 15 C and above and a relative humidity of at least 60%. This method is considered as auxiliary.

To deliver and disperse disease carriers and insect pests of agricultural crops in the target area, entomological munitions can be used - aircraft bombs and containers that provide protection from adverse factors during flight and landing (heating and soft landing on the ground).

It is possible that radio- and remote-controlled balloons and balloons can be used as delivery vehicles. Drifting along with the prevailing air currents, they are capable of landing or dropping biological munitions upon appropriate commands.

The sabotage method is very accessible and effective and does not require special training. With the help of small-sized devices (portable aerosol generators, spray canisters), you can contaminate the air in crowded places, in the premises and halls of train stations, airports, subways, social, cultural and sports centers, as well as at facilities of important defense and state importance. It is possible that water in urban water supply systems may be contaminated using pathogens of cholera, typhoid fever, and plague.

Biological agents can be used by tactical, transport and strategic aircraft.

According to the views of foreign military experts, the use of biological weapons is possible both on the eve and during military operations with the aim of inflicting massive losses on personnel, complicating the conduct of active combat operations, disorganizing the work of facilities and the economy of the rear as a whole. In this case, it is planned to use biological munitions both independently and in combination with nuclear, chemical and conventional weapons in order to significantly increase overall losses. For example, previous exposure of the body to ionizing radiation from a nuclear explosion sharply reduces its protective ability against the action of BS and shortens the incubation period.

The principles of using biological weapons (surprise, massing, careful consideration of the conditions of use, combat properties and characteristics of the damaging effects of pathogens) are generally the same as for other types of weapons of mass destruction, in particular chemical weapons.

In an offensive, biological weapons are supposed to be used to destroy personnel of reserves and second echelons located in areas of concentration or on the march, as well as rear units. In defense, the use of biological weapons is recommended to destroy personnel, both first and second echelons, large control centers and rear facilities. To solve operational-tactical problems, the enemy can use a BS with a short incubation period and low contagiousness.

When operating against strategic targets, it is more likely to use BS with a long latent period and high contagiousness.

External signs of the use of biological weapons

To achieve the greatest effect, the enemy will strive to use biological weapons massively, suddenly, taking into account the specific damaging properties of biological agents, therefore, not only the timely establishment of the fact of their use, but also the detection of preparations for use will be of great importance in organizing reliable protection against these weapons.

Detection of enemy preparations for the use of biological weapons is achieved:

By identifying by all types of intelligence the presence of special units and means of biological attack, the locations of its warehouses with biological munitions;

Measures to prepare troops for protection against biological agents (vaccinations, emergency prophylaxis);

By seizing samples of biological weapons, staff and medical documents and interrogating defectors and prisoners of war.

The use of biological weapons by the enemy is usually determined by general external signs and the readings of biological reconnaissance instruments and is then confirmed by the results of laboratory testing of samples taken during reconnaissance.

External (indirect) signs of the use of biological weapons include:

The appearance behind an enemy aircraft, rocket, drifting balloon, (balloon) of a rapidly disappearing cloud or strip of fog;

After the cassette is opened, the cluster elements (small-caliber biological bombs) do not fall vertically, but glide, rotating, at a certain angle to the ground;

The presence of drops of turbid liquid or powdery (paste-like) substances on ammunition fragments and in the immediate vicinity on the ground and vegetation;

The presence of specific design features and markings of biological munitions;

The presence of accumulations of live flying and dead insects and ticks in places where entomological ammunition (containers) fell;

Mass diseases of people and animals.

If signs of the use of this weapon are detected, immediately put on gas masks (respirators, masks), as well as skin protection.

When visually detecting indirect signs of the use of biological weapons or suspicion of combined contamination of the area with radioactive substances and chemical agents, using radiation and chemical reconnaissance devices, the toxic substances are first determined, then the radioactive substances. In the absence of contamination with toxic and radioactive substances, it should be assumed that biological agents were used.

Also, the presence of biological agents can be determined using an ASP biological reconnaissance device (automatic detector of biological impurities).

In places suspected of contamination, samples of air, water, soil and vegetation, swabs from the surface of objects, samples of ammunition fragments (if possible, the ammunition themselves), insects, and mites are taken.

To detect the use of biological agents by sabotage methods, air (water) samples are periodically taken in barracks, office premises, and other places where personnel are located.

Samples and samples, as well as accompanying notes filled out in the prescribed form, are sent to sanitary and epidemiological laboratories or, as an exception, transferred to the doctor (paramedic) of the unit.

Methods of using bacteriological weapons, as a rule, are:

*aircraft bombs;

*artillery mines and shells;

*packages (bags, boxes, containers) dropped from aircraft;

*special devices that disperse insects from aircraft;

*sabotage methods.

In some cases, to spread infectious diseases, the enemy may leave contaminated household items when retreating: clothing, food, cigarettes, etc. The disease in this case can occur as a result of direct contact with contaminated objects. Another possible form of spreading pathogens is the deliberate abandonment of infectious patients during departure so that they become a source of infection among troops and the population.

When ammunition containing a bacterial formulation ruptures, a bacterial cloud is formed, consisting of tiny droplets of liquid or solid particles suspended in the air. The cloud, spreading with the wind, dissipates and settles on the ground, forming an infected area, the area of ​​which depends on the amount of the formulation, its properties and wind speed.

Infectious diseases

Causative agents of the following diseases can be used to equip bacteriological weapons: plague, cholera, anthrax, botulism, smallpox, tularemia.

Plague- acute infectious disease. The causative agent is a microbe that is not highly resistant outside the body; in human sputum, it remains viable for up to 10 days. The incubation period ranges from 1 to 3 days. The disease begins acutely: general weakness, chills, headache appear, the temperature quickly rises, and consciousness becomes darkened.

The most dangerous is the so-called pneumonic form of plague. It can be contracted by inhaling air containing the plague pathogen. Signs of the disease: along with a severe general condition, chest pain and cough with the release of large amounts of sputum with plague bacteria appear; the patient's strength quickly falls, loss of consciousness occurs; death occurs as a result of increasing cardiovascular weakness. The disease lasts from 2 to 4 days.

Cholera- an acute infectious disease characterized by a severe course and a tendency to spread rapidly. The causative agent of cholera - Vibrio cholerae - is not very resistant to the external environment; it remains in water for several months. The incubation period for cholera lasts from several hours to 6 days, on average 1-3 days.

The main signs of cholera are: vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions; The vomit and feces of a cholera patient take the form of rice water. With liquid bowel movements and vomiting, the patient loses a large amount of fluid, quickly loses weight, and his body temperature drops to 35 degrees. In severe cases, the disease can result in death.

anthrax- an acute disease that mainly affects farm animals, and from them can be transmitted to people. The causative agent of anthrax enters the body through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and damaged skin. The disease occurs within 1-3 days; it occurs in three forms: pulmonary, intestinal and cutaneous.

Pulmonary form Anthrax is a kind of pneumonia: the body temperature rises sharply, a cough appears with the release of bloody sputum, cardiac activity weakens and, if untreated, death occurs after 2-3 days.

Intestinal form the disease manifests itself in intestinal ulcers, acute abdominal pain, blood vomiting, diarrhea; death occurs within 3-4 days.

For cutaneous form Anthrax most often affects exposed areas of the body (arms, legs, neck, face). At the site where the pathogen microbes enter, an itchy spot appears, which after 12-15 hours turns into a blister with a cloudy or bloody liquid. The bubble soon bursts, forming a black scab, around which new bubbles appear, increasing the size of the scab to 6-9 centimeters in diameter (carbuncle). The carbuncle is painful, and massive swelling forms around it. If the carbuncle ruptures, blood poisoning and death are possible. If the course of the disease is favorable, after 5-6 days the patient’s temperature decreases, the painful phenomena gradually disappear.

Botulism caused by botulinum toxin, which is one of the most powerful poisons currently known. Infection can occur through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, damaged skin and mucous membranes.

The incubation period is from 2 hours to a day. Botulism toxin affects the central nervous system, the vagus nerve and the nervous system of the heart; the disease is characterized by neuroparalytic phenomena. Initially, general weakness, dizziness, pressure in the epigastric region, and gastrointestinal disorders appear; then paralytic phenomena develop: paralysis of the main muscles, muscles of the tongue, soft palate, larynx, facial muscles; subsequently, paralysis of the muscles of the stomach and intestines is observed, resulting in flatulence and persistent constipation. The patient's body temperature is usually below normal. In severe cases, death can occur several hours after the onset of the disease as a result of respiratory paralysis.

Tularemia- infection. The causative agent of tularemia persists for a long time in water, soil, and dust. Infection occurs through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, mucous membranes and skin. The disease begins with a sharp rise in temperature and the appearance of headache and muscle pain. It occurs in three forms: pulmonary, intestinal and typhoid.

Smallpox caused by a virus. This disease is characterized by fever and a rash that leaves scars. Transmitted through air and objects.