Revista de Bioterrorismo y Biodefensa

Abstracto

Of Beans and Beads: Ricin and Abrin in Bioterrorism and Biocrime

Virginia I Roxas-Duncan and Leonard A Smith

Ricin and abrin are among the most lethal plant toxins known to humans. Even minute amounts, if effectively used, could cause considerable injury and mortality. Because of potency, stability, relative ease of production, and worldwide availability of their source plants, ricin and abrin are potential biological weapons. Ricin was also developed as an aerosol biological weapon by the U.S. and its allies during WWII, but was never used in battle. Ricin is not considered an effective weapon of mass destruction, but it has been the agent of choice in numerous biocrimes. Despite being associated with death and biological warfare, both ricin and abrin are also well known for their use in therapeutic applications and biomedical research. This article provides an overview of ricin and abrin, and their perspectives in bioterrorism and biocrime.