History of Tularemia as a Biological Weapon
Tularemia was first recorded as a "plaguelike disease" found within rats in 1911. Soon after, this disease was recognized as a potentially severe and fatal illness in humans. However it was not until the 1930s and 1940s when Tularemia's potential as a world wide epidemic became clear. Large waterborne outbreaks occurred in Europe and the Soviet Union as well as in the United States. F tularensis quickly gained notoriety as a virulent laboratory hazard. Public health concerns drove substantial early investigations into tularemia’s ecology, microbiology, pathogenicity, and prevention.
Ken Alibeck, a former Soviet Union biological weapons scientist, has publicly suggested that Tularemia outbreaks which affected tens of thousands of Soviet and German soldiers on the eastern European front during World War II may have been due to intentional attacks. After the war, these militaries continued studies of Tularemia. In the 1950s and 1960s, the US military developed weapons that would disseminate F tularensis aerosols. In addition to this, the US also performed more Tularemia research in hopes of developing vaccines and antibiotic treatment regimens. In some studies, volunteers were infected with F tularensis by direct aerosol delivery systems and by exposures in an aerosol chamber.
The United States ended its biological weapons development program by presidential order in 1970 and, by 1973, had destroyed its entire biological arsenal. Since then, the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has been responsible for defensive medical research on F tularensis and other potential biological warfare agents to better protect the US military, including protocols on decontamination,clinical recognition, laboratory diagnosis, and medical management.
Ken Alibeck, a former Soviet Union biological weapons scientist, has publicly suggested that Tularemia outbreaks which affected tens of thousands of Soviet and German soldiers on the eastern European front during World War II may have been due to intentional attacks. After the war, these militaries continued studies of Tularemia. In the 1950s and 1960s, the US military developed weapons that would disseminate F tularensis aerosols. In addition to this, the US also performed more Tularemia research in hopes of developing vaccines and antibiotic treatment regimens. In some studies, volunteers were infected with F tularensis by direct aerosol delivery systems and by exposures in an aerosol chamber.
The United States ended its biological weapons development program by presidential order in 1970 and, by 1973, had destroyed its entire biological arsenal. Since then, the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has been responsible for defensive medical research on F tularensis and other potential biological warfare agents to better protect the US military, including protocols on decontamination,clinical recognition, laboratory diagnosis, and medical management.