1. Vincent Kovacich
For our final forum post we have been asked to choose a
specific CBRN agent and discuss the technical aspects, future
threats of using such an agent, and possible prevention methods
to reduce the risk or threat of an attack. Throughout the course
of the class the CBRN agent that stood out the most to me was
biological agents, specifically agroterrorism and biological
agents used to target agriculture. Agroterrorism is broken down
into three different categories. The first of these is an
intentional attack against the food supply that renders food
poisonous or inedible. The second is a pathogenic agent
transferred from one infected host to another, either through
direct contact, or indirectly if contagious. The third is the
deliberate introduction of foreign disease into the nation’s
livestock population (Bergeron, 2011).
The threat of agroterrorism is one that presents multiple
risks. Primary among these may be accessibility and geographic
dispersal (US, 2007). US agriculture and food supplies often
begin at farms where produce is grown and livestock is raised.
These facilities are often composed of hundreds of acres of
open land. This provides an easy opportunity for potential
terrorists to access food supplies and introduce biological
diseases, as well as easy egress from these facilities. Ample
opportunities for access are also available through transport to
processing facilities, at storage facilities, grocery stores, and
restaurants. There is also the issue of geographic dispersal, not
unlike the risk of access. A potential terrorist could introduce a
disease or pathogen at one location where livestock or produce
are raised, and allow the food industry to disperse the
contaminated product for them.

2. Possible prevention methods to reduce the risk of an
agroterrorism attack would be difficult to implement. It is
unlikely and improbable that more stringent security measures
could be implemented at farms where livestock is raised or
produce is grown. This means the most likely prevention
method will come when livestock and produce are processed
into food to then be shipped to consumers. This would include
more stringent testing of livestock and produce as they are
being processed. This testing would look for potential diseases
that may have been introduced, and allow for them to be traced
back to farms if identified.
Resources:
Bergeron, M.D. 2011. Agroterrorism: Threats and impacts
(Unpublished). American Military
University, Charles Town, West Virginia.
US Department of Agriculture. (2007, May). Agriculture and
Food. Retrieved December 24,
2016, from
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodDefense/ucm081308.p
df
CHristopher Edgerly
The CBRN agent I chose for this week is a Foreign Animal
Disease (FAD) and how it can lead to a disruption in the

3. nation's food supply and devastate the economy. FADs can be a
number of different types, however for this week's post I will
chose highly pathogenic avian influenza. These types of
influenza can lead to a large death rate among flocks of water
and land fowl. Some types have been known to spread to
humans.
Avian influenza, or "bird flu", is a contagious disease caused
by Influenza A viruses that normally infect only birds and, less
commonly some mammals such as pigs. Avian influenza viruses
can be highly species-specific, but have, on occasions, crossed
the species barrier to infect humans and other mammals. The
currently circulating H5N1 viruses represent a previously
unrecognized type of avian influenza that is causing fatal
infections in wild birds, domestic poultry, mammals like cats,
and occasionally humans on a broad geographic scale.
Wild waterfowl are considered the natural reservoir of all
non or low pathogenic influenza A viruses. They have probably
carried influenza viruses, with no apparent harm, for centuries.
However, in domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza
viruses causes two main forms of disease, distinguished by low
and high virulence. The so-called "low pathogenic" avian
influenza (LPAI) commonly causes only mild symptoms (e.g.
ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may easily go
undetected. The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) form
is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry
flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and
has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.
Currently only some strains of viruses of the H5 and H7
subtypes are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the
disease in poultry (WHO, 2016).
The HPAI form can destroy flocks of chicken and turkeys
due to it's virulence. To protect against these outbreaks there
has to be strict surveillance of the flock for symptoms of the

4. disease. In early 2016 there was an outbreak of HPAI in the
midwest affecting flocks of turkeys on farms. The farms in
Minnesota where the majority of poultry farms are, is of grave
concern to the $750 million dollar industry. humans are the first
and last line of defense in biosecurity involving these flocks.
We have to do a better job of containing and minimizing the
impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Chris
reference:
WHO, 2016. Avian influenza: food safety issues. retrieved from
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/zoonose/avian/en/ind
ex1.html