Biological Capabilities Overview
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Updated January 2006
Biological Capabilities: Overview
Known or Suspected BW Agents Egypt
| BW Agent | Type | Quantity | Status |
| Mycotoxins, unspecified | Toxin | Unknown | Suspected |
| Rift Valley fever virus | Virus | Unknown | Suspected |
| Tentanus toxin (from Clostridium tetani) | Toxin | Unknown | Suspected |
| Encephalitis viruses, unspecified |
Virus | Unknown | Suspected |
Delivery
In the mid-1990s, the Egyptian Minister of Military Industries denied Egyptian cooperation with Iraq on CBW development programs. The country does have extensive conventional armaments and a strong missile program that could serve as potential delivery mechanisms for BW agents. There is, however, no evidence that Egypt has conducted experiments for fitting biological warheads on its missiles.
Key Sources:
Ronald Mason, "Buying Time to Face New Weapons Arms-Control Efforts in the Gulf May Fall on Stony Ground," International Defense Review, Vol. 27, No. 12, 1 December 1994, p. 33; Dany Shoham, "Chemical and Biological Weapons in Egypt," The Nonproliferation Review, Vol. 5, No. 53, Spring-Summer 1998, pp. 48-58; Market Assessment: Market Profile, STAT-USA on the Internet, US Department of Commerce, available online at <http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/>; I.Y. Hamdan and V.M. Villalobos, "Status and Prospects of Biotechnology in the Near East and North Africa," Food and Agricultural Organization Report, <http://www.fao.org/docrep/V4845E/V4845E0g.htm>.
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for
Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently
verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2008
by MIIS.
