Sources, Symptoms, Survival
Question: What is anthrax?
Answer: An infectious disease caused by a bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, anthrax most commonly occurs in hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. It also can infect humans.
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Q: How dangerous is it?
A: A lot depends on how the bacterium enters the body. If it is inhaled into the lungs (inhalation anthrax), the disease is fatal in almost 90% of untreated cases. If the disease enters through an area of skin that is not intact, such as a cut or sore (cutaneous anthrax), it goes away by itself in about 80% of cases even if not treated. The third form of infection (intestinal anthrax) comes from swallowing food or other material contaminated with anthrax spores and is less fatal than inhalation but more dangerous than a skin infection.
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Q: What are the symptoms?
A: It depends on how the disease was contracted. Symptoms usually occur within seven days after exposure. The first symptoms of inhalation anthrax infection may resemble a bad cold or flu but after several days progress to severe breathing problems and shock.
Intestinal anthrax typically begins with nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood and severe diarrhea.
Cutaneous anthrax starts after three to five days with a nondescript, painless blister that is red around the edges. A day or two later, this becomes an open sore that is especially recognizable because it has a black center. Eventually, this dries up and leaves a black scab, which falls off after a week or two.
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Q: How is it treated?
A: Antibiotics are quite effective if an infected person gets treatment quickly. Particularly with inhalation anthrax, delay lessens chances for survival. Several antibiotics work effectively, including penicillin, doxycycline and fluoroquinolones.
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Q: Is there a vaccine?
A: Yes, but health authorities do not recommend vaccinating the general public because the vaccine could have side effects and anthrax remains extremely rare. The vaccine is used for people who may have occupational exposure to the disease.
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Q: How common is it?
A: Anthrax is rare in the United States and other developed countries with good veterinary health systems. Worldwide, there are a couple of thousand cases a year, mostly in people who work with animals. In the United States, there are only one or two cases a year--almost always skin infections, although health experts say they cannot be certain because some cases may never be reported. Before the case in Florida, the last known human death caused by anthrax in the United States was in 1976.
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Q: How is it transmitted?
A: Transmission is by direct contact with infected animals or inhalation of spores.
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Q: Can a person with anthrax give the disease to someone else?
A: There are no known cases of person-to-person transmission. Anthrax is not considered contagious.
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Q: What are spores?
A: When the anthrax bacillus is outside of a body, it becomes dormant. The dormant form of the bacterium is called a spore; it is quite hearty and can exist in the environment for many years.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Pan-American Health Organization.
