Anthrax

•A Anthrax is caused by Bacillus Anthracis, a bacterium which forms spores. A dormant spore can come to life under the proper conditions. There are three types of anthrax: skin (cutaneous), lungs (inhalation), and digestive (gastrointestinal). The disease is not known to be spread from person to person. A person may be infected by infected animals, infected meat, or by the breathing of anthrax spores. It is classified as a Category A agent by the CDC. This classification means it poses the greatest possible threat to public health, it can be spread across a large area and needs public awareness, and there needs to be a lot of planning to protect the public's health from it's threat. Treatment for anthrax exposure is 60 days of antibiotics. The CDC is preparing for an anthrax bioterrorist attack by: planning the response to an attack, training emergence response teams, education health care providers, educating the general public, developing a national electronic database to track potential cases of anthrax, and making sure there are enough supplies in the event of an attack.

Inhalation Anthrax is the most serious form of anthrax and results from breathing bacterial spores into the lungs. Once in the lungs, the spores germinate into live bacteria that release potent toxins. The disease starts with flu-like symptoms, followed by severe respiratory complications. Death may occur within 2 to 3 days of symptoms. Exposure to airborne anthrax spores could cause symptoms as soon as 2 days after exposure or as late as 6 to 8 weeks after exposure. Once symptoms appear, antibiotics may have limited effectiveness for treatment of inhalational anthrax because it is too advanced.

Cutaneous anthrax, the skin form of anthrax, can cause skin or intestinal disease. It is the most common form of anthrax and results from contamination of the skin with anthrax spores (particularly on exposed areas of the hands, arms, or face). The disease begins with a local swelling that may look like an insect bite and progresses to a fluid-filled blister. The blister dries, ulcerates, and then forms a coal-black scab (the word anthrax comes from the Greek word for coal). Without antibiotic treatment, the local infection may spread through the body and can be fatal.

(Extensive edema and hemorrhage involving the cecum in a patient with intestinal anthrax.)

Intestinal Anthrax occurs from the ingestion of contaminated meat. The symptoms include nausea, loss of appetite, bloody diarrheas, fever, and stomach pain.