NCJ Number
194404
Date Published
February 2002
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This report on the counter-bioterrorism research agenda of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) encompasses research on anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.
Abstract
For each of these potential bioterrorist weapons, this report examines the biology of the microbe; the host response; and basic and applied research aimed at the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines against these agents. The biology of the microbe pertains to the microbial components that define a pathogen's life cycle, as well as the events or processes that are critical to initiating infection or influencing the severity of disease. This knowledge is crucial to the development of preventative and therapeutic strategies. Research on host response focuses on both innate and adaptive immune responses to a specific pathogen. Such research is critical in the development of interventions against agents of bioterrorism. Research on vaccines for a particular pathogen addresses the requirements that a vaccine be suitable for civilian populations of varying ages and health status and that it be safe, easy to administer, and capable of an immediate protective and/or transmission-blocking immune response. Research in the area of therapeutics involves the development of a broader, more robust arsenal of anti-infective agents to treat the broad civilian population and to intervene against drug-resistant variants that may emerge. Research on diagnostics pertains to the ability to rapidly identify the introduction of a bioterrorism organism or toxin. Such research aims to produce diagnostic tools that are highly sensitive, specific, inexpensive, easy to use, and located in primary-care settings. This report also discusses the research resources, facilities, and scientific personnel needed to conduct both basic and applied research on the agents of concern. A listing of general recommendations applies to NIAID's immediate, intermediate, and long-term research. Appended participant list for NIAID's Blue Ribbon Panel on Bioterrorism and Its Implications for Biomedical Research and The Strategic Plan for Counter-Bioterrorism Research at the NIAID