> The Reuters editors have been dropping acid again. Anyone know where, when and to whom this actually happened?
Use of fleas as biological weapon
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-137875673.html
Operation Big Itch used uninfected fleas to determine the coverage patterns and the suitability of the tropical rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis, formerly termed the oriental rat flea) in terms of survival and appetence. The field trials were conducted at Dugway Proving Ground in September of 1954. The trials used guinea pigs, placed at stations along a 660-yard circular grid, to detect the presence of fleas.Originally intended for use as an anticrop weapon, the E-14 and E-23 munitions were converted to vector munitions for the field trials. The E-14 munition was a 13-inch-diameter, 9 3/4-inch-long cardboard container with an internal actuator that released carbon dioxide, a piston that moved to expel its contents, and a small chute for clustering the E-86 aerial bomb. The E-23 munition was a 9 3/4-inch-diameter, 18-inch-long cardboard container with an external actuator that reversed a plastic bag to expel its contents. It too included a small chute for clustering the E-77 aerial bomb. Both weapons functioned at 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground level after release from the cluster bomb, and Operation Big Itch proved a success. Using a functioning height lower than that originally intended, the weapon proved capable of covering a battalion-sized target and disrupting operations for a 24-hour period.
An important consideration was the use of carriers. The carriers allowed the fleas access to air and moisture to keep them alive during delivery. The Japanese filled their Uji bombs with sand and plague fleas. The United States considered two methods: sponge fragments and small paperboard tubes with crepe paper streams to keep the open end closed when rolled. Using the sponge fragments, the E-14 carried 100,000 fleas and the E-23 carried 200,000. Because half of the E-23s failed to function in preliminary tests, only the E-14 was used for the remainder of Operation Big Itch. The E- 14 was capable of carrying 80 loop tubes, each containing 3,000 fleas. (15)
interesting ping