             
|
Background Information on Anthrax Bacillus anthracis is the organism that causes the disease, anthrax. The natural history of Bacillus anthracis has been relatively obscure because although spores have always been found naturally in soil, the organisms cannot be cultivated from the soil in which they are found. Moreover, the disease of anthrax is primarily found in domesticated and wild animals, such as sheep, cattle, horses, mules and goats. In humans, the natural risk of infection is about 1/100,000 and only possible when humans have been brought into contact with the flesh, bones, hides, hair, and excrement of diseased animals. In the United States, cases of naturally occurring anthrax are generally restricted to areas of Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Mississippi, and California. Anthrax can also be found globally. It is more common in developing countries or countries without veterinary public health programs and can be found in certain regions South and, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Central America Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. The most common form of the disease in humans is cutaenous anthrax, which is usually acquired through injured skin or mucous membranes. When the skin is exposed to spores of bacillus anthracis, the spores germinate, cells multiply, and a jelly-like edema develops at the site of contact. It eventually forms into a large ulcer, covered by a black scab-like covering. The fatality rate of cutaneous anthrax is only about 20%. This disease becomes fatal once the toxins produced by the bacillus anthracis, invade the bloodstream. Another form of the disease is known as "woolsorter's disease", or inhalation anthrax. This disease is contracted when someone inhales the spore-containing dust from the hide or hair of an animal. Generally, symptoms of inhalation anthrax are acute chest pains and a high fever. Forming hemorrhagic scores in the lungs soon after early symptoms form, this disease is often fatal. Finally, gastrointestinal anthrax is similar to inhalation anthrax; only it forms in the intestines. It is characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever, followed by abdominal pain, vomiting blood and severe diarrhea. This is the most fatal form of anthrax. Thankfully, however, anthrax cannot be spread from person to person and is in no way, contagious. |
|
While it would seem that anthrax as a naturally occurring phenomenon is relatively uncommon, in the early 1990's anthrax was developed as a part of the biological weapons programs of several countries, including the Soviet Union and the United States. "The number of nations believed to have biological weapons programs has steadily risen from 10 in 1989 to 17 in 1995, but how many are working with anthrax is uncertain." Used as an airborne biological weapon, it is said that if fifty kilograms of anthrax is released from an aircraft, could create a lethal amount of anthrax spores that could extend twenty kilometers downwind. Given that this mass of anthrax spores would be colorless, odorless and invisible following its release, and the fact that the spores themselves are microscopic, people indoors would receive the same amount of exposure as people on the street. There are currently no available systems that are able to detect large aerosol clouds of anthrax spores, though many are probably in development in the various military and governmental intelligence programs. The danger of anthrax is reflected in a Johns Hopkins University Center for Biodefense Strategies fact sheet. "A 1970 analysis by the World Health Organization concluded that the release of aerosolized anthrax upwind of a population of 5,000,000 could lead to an estimated 250,000 casualties, of whom as many as 100,000 could be expected to die." One of the most insidious aspects of anthrax is the potentially long incubation period of successive infections. Illness does not come immediately after exposure. Sometimes, symptoms can appear 6-8 weeks after the actual exposure, by which time; the disease could have progressed into fatal stages. Furthermore, early symptoms of the three major types of anthrax disease - cutaneous, inhalation, and gastrointestinal, often resemble symptoms of a common cold or flu. Once symptoms begin, death may follow as closely as 1-3 days later, for most people. If appropriate antibiotics are not started before development of symptoms, the mortality rate is estimated to be 90%. For this reason, it is essential for anyone who suspects having been exposed to anthrax spores to begin use of antibiotics immediately. Although the United States has a sterile protein-based human anthrax vaccine that was approved in 1970, it has only been mandated for use on United States military personnel. Therefore, early diagnosis of the disease and exposure is absolutely critical. One of key factors of the Athena Project is its ability to detect minute traces in the air, ensuring that whomever is present in the near vicinity will have the opportunity to be vigilant about any possible symptoms, or even begin early rounds of antibiotics in order to ensure that no symptoms form. Even though it appears that only a new wave of terrorism is responsible for turning Bacillus anthracis into a deadly weapon, anthrax has been ever-present. The following timeline, courtesy of CNN, gives an in-depth look into the history of anthrax: Anthrax Timeline 1500 B.C. - Fifth Egyptian plague, affecting livestock, and the
sixth, known as the plague of boils, symptomatic of anthrax Works Cited Anthrax
Information -- CDC |
|
