What is peacetime like? Joy, peace… Last spring, I remember, even if there had been no Iraq war, was painted in alarming tones. Every day new reports from the front of the fighting sounded in the news releases. Another country has been conquered by the virus, another group of victims has been taken to the hospital. Atypical pneumonia! Where did this virus come from? Is it the result of military developments? What other misfortunes can we expect? How to deal with the bacteria and viruses that threaten us? Are there any new means of protection against infections in the arsenal of scientists?
In recent months, such questions have been raised very often. Biology has long been considered the “science of life”. Nowadays, it has suddenly become a science that brings death. Mad cow disease, bioterrorism, human cloning, genetic manipulation of plants and animals — all these are the gifts of modern biology. How many more questionable pleasures does she have in store? Isn’t it amazing!
The nuclear weapons control system has existed for a long time, but there is practically no control over biological weapons
But it can be no less dangerous! Now, in any more or less equipped laboratory, it is possible to conduct experiments with botulism toxins, anthrax spores or other pathogens of ailments, modifying them in every possible way. Even before the outbreak of the SARS epidemic, observers warned that the result of thoughtless experiments could be the appearance of deadly pathogens of influenza, measles, intestinal infections… Isn’t pneumonia one of these? And what else is in this row? Smallpox. According to many experts, the most terrible infectious disease that humanity has faced. Only in the XX century, at the time of mass vaccination against smallpox, this disease claimed the lives of several hundred million people.
On May 8, 1980, the World Health Organization declared a complete victory over smallpox. This event became one of the main achievements of medicine of the XX century. And now the need for universal vaccination against smallpox is being discussed again in the West.
According to the calculations of the German doctor Rainer Laufs, in the case of universal vaccination, about a hundred German residents will die. And how long will the vaccine protect? By and large, its validity period is unknown. A few decades ago, doctors working in epidemic centers were vaccinated with smallpox once every three years. According to UN experts, vaccination is effective for ten years. A long-standing vaccination, as a rule, cannot prevent smallpox, but significantly mitigates the disease; now it is unlikely to end in a fatal outcome. “The most powerful person on Earth is afraid of a disease that was officially defeated 23 years ago,” says Alexander Kekule, director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology (Halle, Germany)
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In recent years, it has become clear that bacteria exchange some kind of signals. Obeying them, for example, they form colonies on the enamel of teeth, cause inflammation of the mucous membranes or disrupt the work of the intestines. But until recently, bacteria were considered solitary, unable to communicate with their fellows. Now it became clear that they are truly “collective animals”. For example, they quickly notice if there are many microbes in the neighborhood. When their accumulation reaches a certain size, their behavior changes dramatically. Researchers have dubbed this phenomenon “Quorum sensing”. Bacteria need some kind of “quorum” to make a decision. They determine this quorum by isolating signaling molecules. However, the mechanism of the effect of signaling substances on the genetics of bacteria is still unclear. But the reaction is clear. In some cases, bacteria, as if on command, secrete poisons and harmful enzymes; in other cases, they are enveloped in a mucous film that protects them from antibiotics.
What is useful for a colony of microbes is deadly for humans.
Up to a certain time, the bacteria get along with it. When the “quorum” is assembled – the colony has reached an impressive size – then they attack the human body. If we could understand the language of bacteria, then we could intervene in the negotiations and interrupt them – this would protect against bacterial infection. So, we need a new type of medicine – not antibiotics, which the invisible army is trying to clean up, but – let’s call them so – “disorienting” drugs. They prevent bacteria from communicating, leaving them isolated. They remain alive, though helpless. Then the mechanism of natural selection will not work and a population of microbes resistant to the action of the drug will not appear. Perhaps when a new type of medicine is found, they will be universal. After all, it turned out that many types of bacteria use the same signaling molecules in communication. If you prevent the release of these molecules, there will be a “silent scene”. The army of bacteria will be waiting for the command: “In the gun!” – and will not wait for it. And when will we wait for new high-profile victories on the fronts of biological warfare?
American Publishers for censorship
In February 2003, at the annual conference “American Society for the Advancement of Science” (American Society for the Advancement of Science), held in Denver, the editors-in-chief and publishers of major scientific journals made an unusual appeal. They stated that they intend to prohibit the publication of any materials that may threaten the security of the United States. We are talking primarily about articles on bioterrorism, as well as about any biological studies that “may alarm the public,” for example, about the synthesis of the polio virus or an unsuccessful experiment on mice with smallpox. Censorship will affect works on microbiology and medicine, especially infectious medicine.
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And now 17 years have passed since the publication of this article. Censorship of works on infectious medicine is available. There has never been any control over biological weapons in the world, and there is not. Are our comrades who are not our comrades leading us the right way? Of course not. But the opinion of ordinary citizens around the world on such issues has never interested anyone. At least be indignant. And finally:
Biological Weapons Convention
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BTWC) became the first international disarmament treaty prohibiting the production of an entire class of weapons.
The BTWC was opened for signature on April 10, 1972 and entered into force on March 26, 1975, when 22 States deposited their instruments of ratification with the UN Secretary-General. Currently, there are 163 States that have pledged not to develop, produce or accumulate biological weapons (BW).
A beautiful picture, which shows in color – to varying degrees, almost the whole world for the BTWC Convention. However, the absence of a verification mechanism has limited the effectiveness of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. The United States ratified the Biological Weapons Convention in 1972, but refused in 2001 to adopt a protocol to it providing for mutual control mechanisms, as a result of which it is not possible to actually verify Washington’s compliance with the BTWC using international legal means.
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That’s the way things are. It’s not about masks, but about helmets worn tightly on some heads of politicians and scientists – they would rather kill themselves against the wall than agree among themselves.
