Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Scale Terrorist Attacks Using Chemical and Biological Agents: An Assessment Framework
and Preliminary Comparisons
, by Dana Shea and Frank Gottron).
In contrast, a number of plant pathogens continue to exist in small areas of the
United States and continue to infect limited areas of plants each year, making out-
breaks and control efforts more routine. Moreover, plant pathogens are generally
more technically difficult to manipulate. Some plant pathogens may require par-
ticular environmental conditions of humidity, temperature, or wind to take hold
or spread. Other plant diseases may take a longer time than an animal disease to
become established or achieve destruction on the scale that a terrorist may desire.
Animal Pathogens
The Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 (Subtitle B of P.L. 107-188, the
Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act) created the
current, official list of animal pathogens that are of greatest concern for agroterrorism.
The list is specified in the select agent rules implemented by USDA APHIS and the
CDC. The act requires that these lists be reviewed at least every two years.
The select agent list for animal pathogens draws heavily from the enduring
and highly respected OIE lists of high-concern pathogens. The select agent list
is composed of an APHIS-only list (of concern to animals) and an overlap list of
agents selected both by APHIS and CDC (of concern to both animals and humans)
(source: United States Animal Health Association's “Gray Book,” http:www.bt.cdc
.gov/agent/agentlist-category.asp).
OIE List
Before the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act, the commonly accepted ani-
mal diseases of concern were all of the OIE's “List A” diseases and some of the
“List B” diseases. In 2004, the OIE replaced its Lists A and B with a single list that
is more compatible with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement of the World
Trade Organization. The new OIE list in Table 16.1 classifies diseases equally; giv-
ing each the same degree of importance in international trade. Many of these OIE-
listed diseases are included in the select agent list (source:
Terrestrial Animal Health
Code
, 13th Edition, May 2004).
The OIE's List A diseases were transmissible animal diseases that had the poten-
tial for very serious and rapid spread, irrespective of national borders. List A dis-
eases had serious socioeconomic or public health consequences and were of major
importance in international trade. List B diseases were transmissible diseases con-
sidered to be of socioeconomic or public health importance within countries and
significant in international trade. In creating the new list, OIE reviewed its criteria
for including a disease, and the disease or epidemiological events that require mem-
ber countries to file reports.
