Bioweapon - A bacterium, virus, or other biological toxin used in bioterrorism or biological warfare.⏎
Chronic Disease - Any disease that is long lasting (3 months or more) or recurrent—as opposed to an acute disease—and cannot be prevented by a vaccine or cured by medication.⏎
Adaptive Mutation - A mechanism through which certain cells can increase the rate in which genetic mutations occur, often in response to stress. This mechanism may help explain how bacteria develop resistance to certain antibiotics.⏎
Category A Agents - A class of biological agents that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention views as posing the highest priority risk to U.S. national security.⏎
Antibiotic Resistance - The process through which pathogenic microorganisms, by way of genetic mutation, develop the ability to withstand exposure to the drugs that had once been successful in eradicating them.⏎