Shigella Bacteria as a Biological Weapon in Bioterrorism Strategies for Countering Shigellosis

Bioterrorism includes the abuse of biological agents to terrorize or kill people and destroy livestocks or plants. Nowadays with the improvement in biological science, bioterrorism has broader range and modern dimensions such as the use of pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins. One of the most potent microbial agents that has military applications is the bacteria called shigella. Shigellosis is an infectious disease that is highly contagious and is accompanied by lethargy, malaise, diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, blood and mucus and pus in excrement. Several factors and properties in shigella have caused it to be considered as a potent bacteria used for biological warfare. The major reasons to use shigella in bioterrorism applications include: 1- The lower infectious dose, 2- Presence of multiple infectious ways, 3- Increasing drug resistance therapeutic agents, 4- High spreading power and causing secondary infections in population, and 5- Higher mortality rate in comparison with other bacteria in its family. One of the best ways to counter shigella is to produce protective vaccine against it, in regard to the problems in the production of efficient vaccines, choosing the best agent for the appropriate and viable stimulation of the immune system is of utmost importance. Nowadays with the advancement and developments of genetic engineering technologies, new concepts for producing live vaccines with less or no pathogenesis based on the deletion of effective genes in development of disease in target bacteria have been introduced that seem to be as a promising tool to counter shigellosis. In this study, in addition to a quick analysis of bioterrorism from different angles, various ways and the different kinds of vaccine made against shigella have been scrutinized to counter it.