Treatment of Neuroterrorism

Abstract

Bioterrorism is defined as the intentional use of biological, chemical, nuclear, or radiological agents to cause disease, death, or environmental damage. Early recognition of a bioterrorist attack is of utmost importance to minimize casualties and initiate appropriate therapy. The range of agents that could potentially be used as weapons is wide, however, only a few of these agents have all the characteristics making them ideal for that purpose. Many of the chemical and biological weapons can cause neurological symptoms and damage the nervous system in varying degrees. Therefore, preparedness among neurologists is important. The main challenge is to be cognizant of the clinical syndromes and to be able to differentiate diseases caused by bioterrorism from naturally occurring disorders. This review provides an overview of the biological and chemical warfare agents, with a focus on neurological manifestation and an approach to treatment from a perspective of neurological critical care.

Toxins as biological weapons for terror—characteristics, challenges and medical countermeasures: a mini-review

“…Biological warfare is defined as the intentional use of living organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi with the intent to cause disease, death, or environmental damage [ 1 , 2 ]. Pathogens were classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into categories A, B or C based on ease of transmission, severity of morbidity and mortality, and the likelihood of use (see also http://www.selectagents.gov/SelectAgentsandToxinsList.html and https://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/biodefenserelated/biodefense/pages/cata.aspx ).…”

How Prepared Are We for Possible Bioterrorist Attacks: An Approach from Emergency Medicine Perspective

“…Early recognition is the main principle in minimizing casualties, initiating appropriate therapy, and preserving adequate resources. However, symptoms and signs following exposure to warfare agents are often nonspecific and can easily be mistaken for common diseases seen in the emergency departments every day [ 15 ]. There is a strong relationship between identifying a potential bioterrorism event and to maintain a strong index of suspicion [ 16 ].…”

Neuroterrorism Preparedness for the Neurohospitalist

“…Such agents of "neuroterrorism" may cause nonspecific symptoms initially, making diagnosis difficult. 5 An epidemiologic clue to the use of such agents would include abnormal temporal and/or geographic clustering of patients with similar clinical syndromes. Neurohospitalists should be on the lookout for such abnormal clustering, especially among patients presenting to the emergency department.…”

“…As such, while emergency medical providers are typically thought of as being on the "front-line" during such attacks, consulting neurohospitalists may also play key roles in the recognition of these agents and management of their syndromes. 5 In this review article, we provide an overview of several biological and chemical terrorism agents that can have significant effects on the nervous system (ie, agents of "neuroterrorism" previously described by Busl and Bleck 5 ) in order to better prepare neurohospitalists to clinically recognize and help manage the potential effects of such incidents (Table 1). domestic and wild animals.…”