BT Agents

 The U.S. public health system and primary healthcare providers must be prepared to address various biological agents, including pathogens that are rarely seen in the United States.

High-priority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they:

• Can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person;
• result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact;
• might cause public panic and social disruption;
• require special action for public health preparedness. 

Category A Diseases/Agents

• Anthrax
• Botulism
• Plague
• Smallpox
• Tularemia
• Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (filoviruses [e.g., Ebola, Marburg] and arenaviruses

Category B Diseases/Agents

• Are moderately easy to disseminate
• Result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates
• Difficult to detect under current methods

Category B Biological Agents include:

• Brucellosis
• Epsilon Toxin
• Food Safety Threats (i.e. Salmonella)
• Glanders
• Melioidosis
• Psittacosis
• Q Fever
• Ricin
• Staphylococcal B
• Typus Fever
• Viral Encephalitis
• Water Safety Threats

Sources for the FAQs and definitions were the CDC and JAMA Consensus Statement.