USE OF PLANTS IN BIOTERRORISM

Why plant toxins are used in Bioterrorism?

• Biotoxins of plant origin attract terrorists as they are:

_ Difficult to detect

_ Difficult to control

• There are a huge variety of plant poisons and it is difficult to organize the myriad plant toxins in an understandable manner.

• Among known plant toxins, few of which may be worthy of special attention in context of bioterrorism.

1. Ricin 2. Abrin

3. Gelonin 4. Lectin

5. Curare 6. Modeccin

Ricin

• Castor plant - Ricinus communis– From processing waste

• Castor beans for oil– Very stable– In several forms

• Powder, mist, pellet, dissolved

in water or weak acid– Irreversibly blocks protein synthesis– Potential medical uses

Ricin

History• World War I

– Considered for use as weapon by US

• 1978: London– Assassination of Bulgarian exile, Georgi Markov

• 1991: Minnesota– Patriot’s Council plot to kill US Marshal

• Iran-Iraq war– Reports of ricin use– Found in Al Qaeda caves in Afghanistan

Transmission

• Three routes– Inhalation– Ingestion– Injection

• Person-to-person transmission does not occur.

Signs and Symptoms

• Inhalation– Incubation less than 8 hours– Cough, weakness, fever, nausea, muscle aches,

chest pain and cyanosis– Pulmonary edema, 18-24 hours after inhalation– Severe respiratory distress– Death from hypoxemia, 36-72 hours

Pulmonary edema

• Ingestion– Least toxic form– Less toxic if castor

beans swallowed whole– Severe GI symptoms, 1-2 hours– Rapid heartbeat– Internal bleeding– Vascular collapse– Death occurs in 3 days or more

• Injection– Local pain and necrosis at site of injection– Systemic signs similar to those of ingestion

Treatment

• No treatment, vaccine or antisera currently available

• Avoid ricin exposure• Supportive care

– Dependent on route of exposure– Ventilator– Gastric lavage or cathartics

Ricin as biological weapon

• Extreme ease of production• Widely available• Relatively high toxicity• Currently no treatment

– Supportive care only

Abrin

• Jequirity pea - Abrus precatorius

_ Very stable

_ In several forms

_ Powder, mist, pellet, dissolved in water

_ Blocks protein synthesis

_ Potential medical use

Abrus plant

Toxicity

• Abrin works by

_ penetrating the cells of the body

_ inhibiting cell protein synthesis• The severity of the effects of abrin

poisoning vary on the means of exposure to the substance (whether inhaled, ingested, or injected).

Transmission

• Three routes

_ Inhalation

_ Ingestion

_ Absorption

Signs and Symptoms

• Inhalation– Respiratory distress, fever, cough, nausea, and

tightness in the chest. – Heavy sweating may follow as well as pulmonary

edema.– Skin might turn blue– Low blood pressure – Respiratory failure that ultimately lead to death

Cyanosis

• IngestionIf a person swallows a small amount:

_ Vomiting, diarrhea, hallucination, seizures and blood in the urine.

_ Severe dehydration followed by low blood pressure.

_ Within several days, the person’s liver, spleen and kidney might stop working, and the person will die.

• Absorption In powder or mist form abrin can cause

_ Redness of skin and eyes

_ pain

• Death from abrin poisoning could take place within 36 to 72 hours of exposure.

Treatment

• No treatment or antidote • Avoid abrin exposure• Getting the abrin off or out of body• Supportive care

_ Dependent on route of exposure

_ Flushing stomach with activated charcoal

GELONIN

• Himalayan plant - Gelonium multiflorum

• Inhibits protein synthesis

_ by cleaving N-glycosidic bond of specific adenine.