Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Detection devices for microbial aerosols (including evaluation of US
technology that made use of fluorescent antibodies)
•
Systematic evaluation of physical and chemical means of biological de-
contamination
Should there be any room for maneuver in the budget, the subgroup
would include two additional elements in its program:
•
Examination of the adaptation of chemical weaponry to carry biological
agents
•
Examination of the industrial manufacture of freeze-dried biological
agents
35
Until this “basic” program was approved and funded nine months
later,
36
the CIEECB was able only to give the go-ahead to several less sig-
nificant projects, namely the study of animal pathogens, freeze-drying of
viruses, inventory of potential biological agents, and study of the effects
of irradiation on animal susceptibility to infection.
In July 1959 the CIEECB also proposed the creation of a working
group, the Sous Groupe de Travail et d'Etudes Biologiques (SGTEB), to be
chaired by Veterinary General Guillot. This group would follow and coor-
dinate the biological warfare program. It comprised, among others, repre-
sentatives from the CIAS, the CASDN, the ARMET, the Service de Santé
des Armées (Bacteriology Section), the CEB, and the Army Veterinary
Service.
37
From then on, the subgroup would meet independently and
report regularly to the CIEECB on its activities. The first meeting of the
SGTEB took place on 29 November 1959.
38
The BW program, therefore,
continued to function at a level close to low-water mark and with ambi-
tions limited to modest advances on earlier progress. This work was fo-
cused in the following areas:
39
•
Studies on biological agents. Positive results were obtained in the follow-
ing areas: use of freeze-drying to conserve and store viruses, bacteria,
and toxins; the pollution of terrain using dust or aerosols to disperse bio-
logical agents (botulinum toxin in particular); study of the ecology of vi-
ruses by observing the behavior of two viruses of opposing characteris-
tics, one fragile and the other very robust, to determine their behavior
when put in different exposure chambers; enhancing or creating the
pathogenic properties of certain bacteria vis-à-vis species with little or no
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