Bioweapons causes mass death and destructions

[Jean, “The proteomics contribution to the counter- bioterrorism toolbox in the post-COVID-19 era”, Expert Review of Proteomics, VOL. 17, published 2020, 507-511, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14789450.2020.1822745?scroll=top&needAccess=true]

The CBRNE acronym – for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosive weapons [1] – was proposed to designate the different types of threats counter-terrorism respon- ders could be faced with. These unconventional weapons have the capacity to create devastating casualties among soldiers and civi- lians, and significant disruption of societal services, while also destroying the very cohesion of States. Rapid and efficient detec- tion, and appropriate counter-measures, are essential if we are to mitigate these threats. Indeed, the consequences of an attack can only be significantly reduced by mounting an immediate and optimal response, which must be planned in advance. Unfortunately, the current world context of local and international conflicts, but also the trends in evolution of societies and human behavior, represent fertile ground for the development of higher- level risks. Among the C threats, priorities include biological toxins such as ricin and abrin, alongside chemical nerve agents and cyanide derivatives. The B threat corresponds to bacteria and viruses, living agents that can cause high mortality, are easily propagated, and are relatively resistant to classical antimicrobials or antivirals. The spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, responsible for acute infectious anthrax; the variola virus from the Orthopoxvirus genus, causing smallpox; and the Ebola Filovirus, which induces hemorrhagic fever, are just some exam- ples of the most awkward known biological agents (see https:// emergency.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist-category.asp for an updated list of high-priority agents by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The Black Swan Theory formalized by Taleb [2] in the statistics field considers a rare, hard-to-predict event with such a disproportionate impact that it could significantly re-route human history. Compared to CRNE threats, the B threat could be considered to fall within the Black Swan Theory because of the potential for extensive amplification of some living agents and the disastrous consequences that a wide release scenario with a more infectious, pernicious variant would entail.