Journal of Bioterrorism & Biodefense
Open Access

Review Article

Helminths as Weapons of Bioterrorism: an Unrecognised Threat

Mackenzie L. Kwak^*

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 5 Ring Road, Bundoora, Victoria 3186, Australia.

*Corresponding Author:

Mackenzie L. Kwak
Department of Economic Development
Jobs, Transport and Resources, 5 Ring Road
Bundoora, Victoria 3186, Australia
Tel: 0408 101 522
E-mail: mackenziekwak@gmail.com

Received Date: June 23, 2016; Accepted Date: July 16, 2016; Published Date: July 22, 2016

Citation: Kwak ML (2016) Helminths as Weapons of Bioterrorism: an Unrecognised Threat. J Bioterror Biodef 7:148. doi: 10.4172/2157-2526.1000148

Copyright: © 2016 Kwak ML. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Parasitic worms, more commonly known as helminths, have a significant effect on global human health. However, this group of pathogens has been overlooked by bioterrorism researchers and analysts as possible agents who may be weaponised and deployed by terrorist groups or rogue states. For the first time, the dangers posed by these agents are highlighted along with the potential of the group for weaponisation. The first biodefense strategies against helminthic bioweapons are also proposed.

Keywords

Parasites; Biodefense; Bioweapons; Foodborne; Nematode; Trematode; Cestode; Terrorism; Public health; Rogue state

Keywords