Preparing for Biological and Chemical Terrorism:
A Practical Guide to Antibiotics and
Their Usage for Survival
by
Leonard G. Horowitz, D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H.
Tetrahedron, LLC
Sandpoint, Idaho
Disclaimer and Background
This information
is for educational purposes only. It is intended to help in the
event of biological and chemical weapons attacks on civilian
populations. It is not provided in order to diagnose or treat
any disease, illness, or injury of the body, mind, or spirit.
The author, publisher,
and distributors of this work accept no responsibility for people
using or misusing the potentially life-saving information in
this text.
Individuals suffering
from any disease, illness, or injury should, as Hippocrates prescribed, "learn
to derive benefit from the illness." In this sense, in the context
of "America's New War" on terrorism, diagnosing the root causes
of contemporary threats best derives "benefit". That is, comprehend
the evil bringing on such illness and distress. The macroscopic--political,
social, moral, and personal forces, beside the microscopic agents,
are best identified to provide appropriate treatments.
The antibiotic
applications against germ warfare discussed herein are not well-established
medical practices. They are best considered speculative, but
reasonable, given the urgent and widespread risks of biological
attack for which there is no precedent, nor adequate scientific
research. Discussions herein are intended to provide self-help
strategies under emergency circumstances in which professional
care is unavailable, as is anticipated following large-scale
exposures of unprotected populations to lethal biologicals.
It must be stressed
that the unsupervised lay use of antibiotics is dangerous for
several reasons: 1) antibiotics may cause potentially fatal reactions
(e.g., allergy, asthma, and death); 2) antibiotics can prompt
greater growth, development, and spread of resistant pathogens
such as fungi and Mycoplasma prompting more severe or alternative
infections; 3) antibiotic usage can make it more difficult for
physicians to diagnose life-threatening infectious illnesses.
Thus, self-medication is not advised under normal circumstances
of medical personnel availability.
Furthermore,
though certain antibiotics are customarily prescribed to kill
certain strains of bacteria, germ warfare presents unique challenges.
Biological weapons developers have routinely developed germ strains,
such as anthrax, smallpox, influenza, Mycoplasma, Brucella, and
more, that are antibiotic resistant. At the same time, vaccines
and vaccine manufacturers have proven themselves to be highly
untrustworthy.
Moreover, in
the event of a biological attack, the initial benefits of antibiotic
prophylaxis and treatment may be jeopardized by a second wave
of infection of the same microbe, or secondary infections with
other germs. These are expected due to subsequent disease transmission
by infected insects, such as flies, fleas, and ticks, and immune
compromised victims in which secondary infections are common.
Typically, bacteria
are classified either "Gram-positive" or "Gram-negative" due
to their structure and staining characteristics, which reflect
their susceptibility to certain antibiotics. The Penicillin family
of antibiotics has been effective against Gram-positive infections.
Alternatively, the Tetracyclines have been used successfully
to combat Gram-negative agents. These will be discussed in more
detail later.
Near the beginning
of a widespread biological attack, it may be extremely difficult
to determine precisely the causative agent, and thereby select
the proper antibiotic. This is due to: 1) the latency, or slow
growth period of the germ within exposed individuals, and 2)
biological weapons specialists often mix microbes to be used
in such a manner as to confuse diagnosis and delay effective
treatment.
For instance,
a consensus of authorities predicts inhalation anthrax is among
the likeliest biological weapons to be used by terrorists. This
is due to its relative ease of manufacture, durability of spores,
and difficulty of delayed treatment. Anthrax is a Gram-positive
rod-shaped Bacillus. To be more effective in killing large populations,
authorities suggest that Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pasteurella
tularensis, may accompany such attacks. This germ is likewise
rod-shaped to confuse accurate diagnosis and delay time-critical
treatment.
For the above
reasons a "combination therapy" may be indicated and most useful
in saving lives following a biological weapons attack.
read more
