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The Agricultural Research Service has identified the following
high-priority research needs to counter agricultural bioterrorism:
- Expand on-the-spot diagnostic capabilities to include plant, animal,
and insect threats
- Conduct epidemiologic mapping of micro-organisms and pests to
pinpoint geographical origins
- Engineer and manufacture vaccines in the United States that are
effective against all highly infectious disease agents of concern
- Improve plant genetic resistance to potential introduced
pathogens
- Develop mass vaccine delivery systems for animals, poultry, and
fish
- Develop alternatives to widespread aerial chemical control of
mosquitoes, midges, and other insect vectors of human, animal, and
zoonotic disease
- Conduct research to develop alternatives to malathion and other
chemicals for control of insect pests or plants
- Conduct research to prevent and control pathogens that are potential
anticrop biological warfare weapons
- Conduct research to identify genes that can enhance genetic
resistance of major crops to pathogens that are potential biological
warfare weapons
- Develop innovative approaches to epidemic disease control
- Conduct active research with foreign countries to clean up disease
threats at the source and remove the natural sources of infectious
agents and pests that terrorists or nations might easily access
- Develop countertoxin technologies
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