Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The evolving field of biodefence: therapeutic developments and diagnostics

2005; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 4; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/nrd1694

1474-1784

James C. Burnett, Erik A. Henchal, Alan Schmaljohn, Sina Bavari,

Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

The threat of bioterrorism and the potential use of biological weapons against both military and civilian populations has become a major concern for governments around the world. For example, in 2001 anthrax-tainted letters resulted in several deaths, caused widespread public panic and exerted a heavy economic toll. If such a small-scale act of bioterrorism could have such a huge impact, then the effects of a large-scale attack would be catastrophic. This review covers recent progress in developing therapeutic countermeasures against, and diagnostics for, such agents.