These include organisms that pose a risk to national security. They

	can be easily disseminated or transmitted person-to-person;
	cause high mortality, with potential for major public health impact;
	might cause public panic and social disruption; and
	require special action for public health preparedness

Category A agents include

	variola major (smallpox);
	Bacillus anthracis (anthrax);
	Yersinia pestis (plague);
	Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism);
	Francisella tularensis (tularaemia);
	filoviruses, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Marburg hemorrhagic fever; and
	arenaviruses, Lassa (Lassa fever), Junin (Argentine hemorrhagic fever) and related viruses.

These agents

	are moderately easy to disseminate;
	cause moderate morbidity and low mortality; and
	require enhancements to diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance.

Category B agents include

	Coxiella burnetti (Q fever);
	Brucella species (brucellosis);
	Burkholderia mallei (glanders);
	alphaviruses, Venezuelan encephalomyelitis, eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis;
	ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans);
	epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens; and
	Staphylococcus enterotoxin B.

A subset of List B agents includes pathogens that are food- or waterborne.
These pathogens include but are not limited to

	Salmonella species,
	Shigella dysenteriae,
	Escherichia coli O157:H7,
	Vibrio cholerae, and
	Cryptosporidium parvum.

Category C

These agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of

	availability;
	ease of production and dissemination; and
	potential for high morbidity and mortality and major health impact.

Category C agents include

	Nipah virus,
	hantaviruses,
	tickborne hemorrhagic fever viruses,
	tickborne encephalitis viruses,
	yellow fever, and
	multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Management of category C agents requires ongoing research to improve disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Source: "Biological and Chemical Terrorism: Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response: Recommendations of the CDC Strategic Planning Workgroup," April 21, 2000 / 49(RR04);1-14, Centers for Disease Control, USA.

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