Abstract
One of the keys to deterring the use of biological weapons is real time detection and warning. In the event that these agents are utilized, it is even more important to classify and eventually identify the type of agent so that appropriate countermeasures can be initiated. Several systems have been developed to provide detection and alarm of a biological warfare (BW) agent attack. These first generation systems detect the characteristics of an aerosol in order to measure changes in the aerosol content against a background. This may be indicative of a man-made (not naturally-occurring) event that could indicate a possible attack with a biological agent. These first generation systems then use antibodies to provide a means of characterization of the aerosol for specific types of biological materials. This approach presupposes a knowledge of what an adversary may have in their arsenal. With the advent of genetic engineering and thus the potential to design agents that may defeat current detection and identification strategies, additional or alternative signatures need to be exploited to reliably indicate a possible biological attack. This paper explores some additional signatures that can be used. Some approaches to improving medical intervention are also discussed.
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Stopa, P.J., Walther, J., Morgan, J. (2004). Technical Approaches to Biological Agent Detection. In: Stopa, P.J., Orahovec, Z. (eds) Technology for Combating WMD Terrorism. NATO Science Series, vol 174. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2683-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2683-6_6
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