BIOTERRORISM: Mosquito vector potential

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A workshop at the University of Florida May 20-22 will look at the possibility of an unusual but potentially massive form of insect-based terrorism that could be launched in Florida. This workshop, titled “Counteracting Bioterrorist Introduction of Pathogen-Infected Vector Mosquitoes,” deals with the use of pathogen-laced mosquitoes to spread a deadly disease.
Former Gov. Bob Graham, co-author of one of the most authoritative studies of terrorist threats against the United States, “World at Risk,” will give the plenary address at the event, discussing the overall bioterrorism threat.
How real is the threat? Many of the world’s most dangerous pathogens already are transmitted by arthropods, the animal phylum that includes mosquitoes. But so far the United States has not been exposed to a large-scale spread of vector-borne diseases like Rift Valley, chikungunya fever or Japanese encephalitis. But terrorists with a cursory knowledge of science could potentially release insects carrying these diseases in a state with a tropical climate like Florida’s, according to several experts.
http://news.ufl.edu/2010/05/12/insect-terrorism/