The Infectious Disease Physician and Microbial Bioterrorism

On the morning of September 11, 2001, and later in the weeks that chronicled the spread of anthrax through the U.S. mail, our global consciousness of the terrorist threat was altered. We had awakened to a nightmare. Microbes are a perfect metaphor for our fears: our world seemed infected with terrorists, unlimited in virulence, waiting to emerge from dormancy. The metaphor had become real. Although the atmosphere evokes cold-war fears, the world of this century is more complex than that of the McCarthy-era. The infectious disease physician's role in bioterrorism response must be framed in this context.