Anthrax
In the United States, anthrax is a rare disease normally associated
with wild and domestic animals. In humans, it most commonly occurs when people
are exposed to infected animals via meat or fur processing. For this reason,
anthrax is also known as woolsorters' disease.
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"For
anthrax to be effective as a covert agent, it must be aerosolized into
very small particles. This
is difficult to do, and requires a great deal of technical skill and
special equipment. If these
small particles are inhaled, life-threatening lung infection can occur,
but prompt recognition and treatment are effective."
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control
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How it works
Anthrax is caused by the bacterial species Bacillus anthracis, which
can infect humans and animals in three ways:
- breathing the bacteria
- eating
it
- allowing it to come in contact with an open wound or skin abrasion
Of the three, skin infection is the most treatable form of the disease.
Anthrax can't be spread from routine person-to-person contact. Once a person
is infected, the bacteria and the toxin it produces combine to trigger disease
symptoms.
Anthrax doesn't widely disperse itself, and the respiratory form of
the disease is rare and difficult to engineer and administer for covert
purposes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The bacteria tend to die quickly in environments that don't foster their
growth. The species' ability to form spores, however, allows it to remain in
the environment until conditions are suitable for it to grow. When spores find
themselves in the proper environment, e.g., an animal's lung, they grow into
anthrax bacteria. Anthrax spores are extremely hardy, and research suggests that
they can remain viable for more than 30 years.
Symptoms
According to the American Medical Association, there are two stages to
anthrax infection. The first stage, which can last from hours to a few days,
includes flu-like symptoms. In the second stage, which progresses more quickly,
the infected person experiences sudden fever, extreme shortness of breath and
shock.
The skin-based (cutaneous) form of the disease begins with a small pimple at
the site of infection, which then becomes a black lesion. If left untreated, the
disease progresses to the above symptoms.
Treatment
Antibotics are commonly used to treat anthrax, and are most effective if they
are taken early in the course of the disease. Anthrax infection via mouth
or skin are the most treatable types of the disease.
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