What term is used for military use of harmful biological agents?

The term for military use of harmful biological agents is biological warfare. It means the deliberate use of biological agents or their toxins to injure, kill, or incapacitate people, animals, or plants during armed conflict.

Biological agents can include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other disease-causing organisms. Toxins made by living organisms can also be used as biological weapons, even though toxins themselves are not living organisms. The method of delivery may involve munitions, contaminated materials, or other systems designed to spread the agent.

Biological warfare differs from chemical warfare, which uses poisonous chemical substances such as nerve or blister agents. It is also broader than bioterrorism: biological warfare generally refers to use in a military or wartime context, while bioterrorism usually describes attacks by non-state groups or individuals.

The Biological Weapons Convention, opened for signature in 1972, prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. The danger includes not only immediate casualties but also disease spread, agricultural damage, and long-term public fear.