British scientists have deciphered the genetic blueprint of bubonic plague, the fearsome microbe that killed one-third of medieval Europe and could still be a frightening biological weapon in the hands of modern-day terrorists. The new gene map could offer clues to vaccines and other drugs that could keep the disease in check and perhaps even neutralize its use as a weapon of mass destruction.
Scientists have decoded the genome of the bubonic plague bacterium -- a possible bio-weapon, as well as an endemic disease in some countries.
Terrorists and rogue states can easily make lethal bio weapons by engineering well-known bacteria and viruses to turn them into mass killers.
Even though the United States has the most extensive disease surveillance and response system in the world, there are gaps in its ability to detect outbreaks early, as the 1999 West Nile virus outbreak illustrated.
The proposed verification procedures for the Biological Weapons Convention would have the added side benefit of improving our response to natural disease outbreaks.