BIODEFENSE AND SPECIAL PATHOGEN VACCINES Military personnel have the potential to be exposed to many infectious agents as endemic diseases and in their unnatural form as biological weapons. Increasingly, civilian populations may be targets for terrorist attacks using microorganisms (or…
Abstract Influenza is a disease that represents an important public health concern. The ability of influenza viruses to undergo genetic mutations and become the cause of global epidemics (pandemics) has been a constant worry to public health experts. Over the…
Acknowledgment The previous edition of this chapter was written by Dr. Eileen Schneider. Abstract Within the past 20 years, three novel coronaviruses have emerged from the animal kingdom to infect humans, with devastating disease and economic consequences. They were severe…
Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Jo Hoffman who contributed to the previous edition of this chapter. Abstract Tularemia is a zoonotic bacterial infection that occurs throughout the Northern hemisphere; it is caused by several subspecies of the…
Abstract Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a devastating disease for humans and animals, and one of the most important bioweapons. Though rare in the United States, natural anthrax exposure occurs sporadically worldwide. Anthrax most often manifests as cutaneous or…