A bioweapon (Hebrew: נשק ביולוגי, transliteration: neshek biyologi; French: arme biologique; German: biologische Waffe; Russian: биологическое оружие, transliteration: biologicheskoe oruzhie) is a biological agent such as a virus, bacterium, or toxin that is intentionally disseminated to cause disease or death in humans, animals, or plants as an act of warfare. Bioweapons are a sub-matter of biological warfare (BW), which encompasses other technology and methods such as dissemination equipment. The use of biological agents as weapons dates back to antiquity, with early examples including the catapulting of diseased corpses into cities during sieges. In the modern era, the development and stockpiling of bioweapons have been regulated by international treaties, notably the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, which prohibits the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. Despite these regulations, concerns about the potential use of bioweapons by rogue states, terrorist organizations, and other non-state actors persist, driving ongoing research into countermeasures and detection technologies.
