10 declassified most feared biological weapons, which the United States wanted to throw the USSR

10 most feared biological weapons.

At all times people tried to use every opportunity to find a new viable option destruction of each other. We pulled down the forest, "turned over" religion, philosophy, science, and even art in order to nurture the desire of mankind to drink more blood with each other. In this way, we even built some of the most serious viral, bacterial and fungal weapons.

10. Smallpox.

The term "biological weapons", usually gives birth to mental images associated with the sterile government laboratories, special uniforms and test tubes full of colorful liquids. Historically, however, biological weapons takes much more mundane forms: paper bags full of plague-infected fleas, or even the usual blanket as it was during the war between France and India in 1763.

9. Anthrax.

In autumn 2001, letters containing white powder began to come to the United States Senate offices. When there was a rumor that the envelopes containing the spores of the deadly bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax, started to panic. Letters with anthrax infected 22 people and killed five.

8. haemorrhagic fever - Ebola.

Another known killer exists in the form of the Ebola virus, one of a dozen different types of hemorrhagic fevers, unpleasant diseases accompanied by excessive bleeding. Ebola has become headline news in 1970, when the virus spread in Zaire and Sudan, killing hundreds of people. In subsequent decades, the virus retained its deadly reputation, spreading lethal outbreaks across Africa. Since its opening, at least seven outbreaks occurred in Africa, Europe and the United States. 7. Plague.

The Black Death wiped out half the population of Europe in the 14th century. This horror called "big death", continues to haunt the world even today. The mere prospect of the return of the plague bacillus causes shock people. Today, some researchers believe that the first pandemic in the world could have been a hemorrhagic fever, but the term "plague" continue to communicate with other biological weapons class: the bacterium Yersinia Pestis.

6. Tularemia.

Despite the fact that the lethal infection with this bacterium occurs only five percent of the cases, the microorganism that causes the progression of the disease, is one of the most dangerous infectious bacteria on Earth. In 1941, the Soviet Union reported 10,000 cases of the disease. Later, when there was a fascist attack on Stalingrad the following year, that number had grown to 100,000 most infections recorded on the German side of the conflict. A former Soviet biological warfare researcher Ken Alibek says that this surge in infections was not accidental, but was the result of biological warfare. Alibek will continue to help Soviet scientists to develop a vaccine against tularemia until his escape to the United States in 1992.

5. Botulism.

Take a deep breath. If the air you just inhaled, contains botulinum toxin, you'll learn about it is not. Deadly bacteria do not have no color, no odor. However, after 12-36 hours of the first symptoms: blurred vision, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. At this point, your only hope is to get botulism antitoxin, and the sooner you get it, the better for you. If untreated, there comes a paralysis of the muscles, and later paralysis of the respiratory system. 4. rice blast.

A large number of bacteria, viruses and toxins pose a serious threat to humans, but many organisms prefer other prey: to grow food. Getting rid crops of their enemies - it is an important task for the man, as without food people will panic, turmoil and, ultimately, death will come.

3. Rinderpest.

When Genghis Khan invaded Europe in the 13th century, he accidentally brought into it a terrible biological weapon. Rinderpest is caused by a virus that is closely related to measles virus. The virus affects cattle and other ruminants, such as goats, buffalo and giraffes. The disease is highly contagious, causing fever, loss of appetite, dysentery and inflammation of the mucous membranes. The symptoms persist for about 6-10 days, then the animal usually dies by dehydration.

2. Nipah virus.

Viruses adapt and evolve over time. There are new strains and sometimes close contact between humans and animals allow life-threatening diseases "jump" to the top of the food chain. With the constant increase in the number of people on earth, the emergence of new diseases is inevitable. And every time there is a new outbreak, you can be sure that someone will begin to see it as a potential biological weapon.

1. Chimera virus.

Plague, smallpox, anthrax - the deadliest viruses in the world, are not dangerous in themselves. All of their hazardous properties they have acquired in the course of evolution. But what happens when scientists begin to delve into the genetic structure of these organisms, altering it? What horror could be born if we add to this human desire to change their natural design? Unfortunately, the creation of such forms of life - is not just a page science fiction novel, it is already happening. In Greek and Roman mythology, a chimera - a combination of parts of the body of a lion, goat and serpent in a terrible shape. Artists of the late Middle Ages often used this image to illustrate the complex nature of evil. In modern genetic science, a chimeric organism exists and contains the genes of a foreign body. Given its name, you probably assumed that all chimeric organisms must be terrible examples of human intrusion into nature to implement their nefarious purposes.