The role of viruses in bioterrorism: A review with emphasis on coronaviruses

Bioterrorism refers to the deliberate spread of biological agents among human and animal societies, causing irreparable damage, such as fatality, recession and social stress. , with emphasis on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the effect of this virus on the future of the world, and its use in bioterrorism.

This study is a narrative review based on available literature in both English and Persian languages by searching for a combination of keywords including bioterrorism, viral diseases and COVID-19 in databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Magiran.

different subtitles, including history, viral biological weapons, emerging infectious diseases and future challenges.

The use of viruses will be a reasonable choice to overthrow nations due to their high spread and lethality, lack of conflict on the battlefield, or high economic and human costs. COVID-19 will present new aspects of bioterrorism impacts on the world's population and economy. Therefore, the tragedy of COVID-19 is not just about its current mortality, and in the near future, we can expect even more complicated problems. Future bioterrorism is therefore different from what we have seen in the past.