Category “C” Biological Agents are the third highest priority biological agents that present no immediate security and public threat because they are still evolving microbes. They are biological agents which at the moment do not present a high risk of bioterrorism to the general public but on the other hand could materialize as potential biologic threat in the future.
Agents in Category “C” are referred to as emerging pathogens with a potential for high morbidity and mortality, and information regarding their epidemiology and pathogenicity is still arcane because they are emerging diseases.
Though they have not been previously used in bioterrorism as some agents in Categories “A and B”, biological agents in Category “C” can be easily accessed due to their availability and ease of production and dissemination; and these can be genetically engineered to produce potent biologic material for mass destruction in human or animal population.
Examples of biological agents in Category “C” include:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
- Hantaviruses.
- Influenza A (H5N1).
- Nipah virus.
- HIV/AIDS.
- Multidrug resistant tuberculosis.
- Mycotoxin-producing fungi.
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