Anthrax is primarily a disease of herbivores although all mammals are susceptible to infection (1,2).
- it is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis and is spread by spores which are
- seen in animal products such as wool, hair, hides, skins, bones, bonemeal and in the carcasses of infected animals
- highly resistant and can survive almost indefinitely (1)
- man is only rarely afflicted either through contact with infected animals, or occupational exposure to infected or contaminated animal products (1)
The incubation period is usually 48 hours but can be up to seven days. In humans, anthrax can affect the skin and rarely the respiratory and gastro intestinal tract
- in cutaneous anthrax, a lesion appears on the skin and develops into a characteristic ulcer with a black centre
- inhalational anthrax begins with a flu-like illness and is followed by respiratory compromise and shock around two to six days later
- intestinal anthrax results in severe abdominal pain, fever and bloody diarrhoea
Anthrax can be treated effectively with antibiotics if identified early. If untreated, the infection can cause septicaemia, toxaemia or meningitis, and is fatal in around 5% of cases.
Note that anthrax has also been used as biological weapon (2):
- in the terrorist attacks that followed 9/11 B.athracis spores were sent in at least 5 letters to Florida, New York City and Washington DC. As a result there were 22 confirmed or suspected cases of athrax, of which 11 were respiratory anthrax (five of whom died) and 11 were cutaneous anthrax (1)
Note:
- anthrax is a notifiable disease.
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