The weapon potential of human pathogenic fungi.

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The weapon potential of human pathogenic fungi.

* _Casadevall A_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_AbstractPlus & term= " Casadevall+A " [Author]) ,

* _Pirofski LA_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_AbstractPlus & term= " Pirofski+LA " [Author]) .

Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Division of Infectious

Diseases of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Park Ave,

Bronx, New York, USA.

With the exception of Coccidioides spp., human pathogenic fungi are not

found among lists of microbes with potential for biological warfare and

bioterrorism against humans. However, many human pathogenic fungi are easily

obtainable from the environment, are highly dispersible and can cause

significant

disease after inhalation with relatively low inocula. When the biological and

pathogenic attributes of certain human pathogenic fungi are considered using a

formula for calculating the relative weapon potential of a microbe it is as

apparent that some organisms such as Coccidioides spp. are comparable to other

microbes for which there is significant concern. Our analysis suggests that

the current indifference to fungi as potential biological weapons against

human populations is probably a perception engendered by their

non-communicability, lack of history of use or development as biological

weapons, and a

relatively low incidence of symptomatic disease following natural infection.

Awareness of the weapon potential of human pathogenic fungi is an important

consideration for greater preparedness against the threat posed by biowarfare

and

bioterrorism.

PMID: 17127625 [PubMed - in process]