BOX 1-2CDC Categories of Potential Bioterrorism Agents and Their Related Diseases

Category A

Agents that include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact; might cause public panic and social disruption; and require special action for public health preparedness.

Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)

Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism)

Yersinia pestis (plague)

Variola major (smallpox)

Francisella tularensis (tularemia)

Viruses causing hemorrhagic fevers, including

Filoviruses (e.g., Ebola, Marburg)Filoviruses (e.g., Ebola, Marburg)

Arenaviruses (e.g., Lassa, Machupo)Arenaviruses (e.g., Lassa, Machupo)

Category B

Agents that are moderately easy to disseminate; result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates; and require specific enhancements of CDC’s diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance.

Brucella species (brucellosis)

Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens

Food safety threats, including Salmonella species

Escherichia coli O157:H7

Shigella species

Burkholderia mallei (glanders)

Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis)

Chlamydia psittaci (psittacosis)

Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)

Ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans)

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Rickettsia prowazekii (typhus fever)

Viruses causing encephalitis, including

Alphaviruses (e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine

encephalitis, western equine encephalitis)

Water safety threats, including

Vibrio cholerae (cholera)

Cryptosporidium parvum (cryptosporidiosis)

Category C

Agents that include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of availability, ease of production and dissemination, and potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact.

Emerging infectious agents such as Nipah virus and hantavirus