bacteriological weapon

...However, the toxins produced by bacteria, such as botulinum toxin, are called toxin weapons and are distinguished from other toxins. Because virology was not established until World War I, the Geneva Protocol, signed in 1925 to ban chemical weapons or poison gas, used the term bacteriological warfare methods, and for this reason, biological weapons in general are still sometimes called bacteriological weapons.
[Features]
Biological weapons are characterized by their ability to multiply, and have the following advantages: (1) they only harm targeted organisms such as humans, livestock, and cultivated plants, and do not harm buildings or weapons; (2) they can be produced inexpensively using simple equipment; (3) once an infection is successful and an epidemic spreads, the damage increases over time; (4) if the microorganism is selected carefully, it cannot be distinguished from a natural epidemic, and the use of biological weapons can be kept secret; and (5) they cause great psychological shock to society.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "bacteriological weapon" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…しかし，ボツリヌス毒素など菌が産生した後の毒素は毒素兵器toxin weaponとよばれ区別されている。第1次大戦まではウイルス学が確立していなかったことなどのため，1925年に調印された化学兵器ないし毒ガスの禁止を目的とするジュネーブ議定書では細菌学的戦争方法という用語を使用し，このため，今でも生物兵器全体を細菌兵器bacteriological weaponとよぶことがある。
［特徴］
　生物兵器の特徴はその増殖性にあり，(1)人間，家畜，栽培植物など目標生物のみに被害を与え，建築物，兵器などには被害を与えない，(2)簡単な設備で安価に生産できる，(3)一度感染させることに成功し流行が拡大すれば被害は時とともに増大する，(4)微生物を選べば自然流行と区別できず生物兵器の使用を秘密にできる，(5)社会に大きな心理的動揺を与える，などの利点をもつ。…

※「bacteriological weapon」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報