was significant as it showed the difficulty that microbiology laboratories have in identifying bioweapon agents and the potential consequences if measures are not taken to prepare for an actual biological attack. history as a weapon of biological warfare burkholderia mallei was intentionally used to infect animals and humans during world war i. the germans used b. mallei to infect animals that were being sent from neutral countries to the allies with glanders. the germans' plans for biological warfare started in 1915 on the east coast of the united states; they intended to infect and kill the livestock that were being sent to the allies and facilitate the transfer of the disease to humans. the east coast was where many animals were being assembled for shipment to the allies fighting in europe. the germans also targeted romania, norway, and spain's animal supplies with cultures of glanders. the german biological sabotage eventually spread to argentina, where agents would rely on bacterial cultures from spain to infect the cattle, horses, and mules that argentina was supplying to the allies. the german use of microbes as weapons is one of the only documented attacks of intentionally using biological weapons against neutral countries. the japanese used b. mallei in their biological warfare research units. the most notable and notorious unit, unit 731, used the bacterium to conduct experiments on live human subjects. however, the japanese did not end up creating a biological weapon out of b. mallei. they did actually use b. mallei to test its effectiveness in contaminating water supplies, and the results of these tests were successful. the russians' biological weapons program also took an interest in b. mallei and conducted field tests with it. some of the researchers from the program were actually infected and killed by it during the course of their research. it has been suggested that the soviet union eventually used b. mallei during their war in afghanistan against the mujahideen.