What kind of agent is anthrax

Inhaled anthrax is more difficult to treat and can be fatal. Anthrax is very rare in the developed world. However, the illness remains a concern because the bacteria have been used in bioterrorism attacks in the United States. There are four common routes of anthrax infection, each with different signs and symptoms.

In most cases, symptoms develop within six days of exposure to the bacteria. However, it's possible for inhalation anthrax symptoms to take more than six weeks to appear.

You can contract anthrax when spores penetrate your skin, usually through an open wound. The infection begins as a raised, sometimes itchy, bump resembling an insect bite. But within a day or two, the bump develops into an open, usually painless sore with a black center. A skin-related cutaneous anthrax infection enters your body through your skin, usually through a cut or other sore.

It's by far the most common route of the disease. It's also the mildest. With appropriate treatment, cutaneous anthrax is seldom fatal. Signs and symptoms include:. A gastrointestinal anthrax infection results from eating undercooked meat from an infected animal. It can affect your gastrointestinal tract from your throat to your colon. This illustration shows how the spores that cause inhalation anthrax — the most deadly form of anthrax infection — enter and affect the body.

Inhalation anthrax develops when you breathe in anthrax spores. It's the most deadly form of the disease, and is often fatal, even with treatment. Initial signs and symptoms include:. This recently identified route of anthrax infection has so far been reported only in Europe. It's contracted through injecting illegal drugs.

Many common illnesses start with symptoms that resemble the flu. The chances that your sore throat and aching muscles are due to anthrax are extremely small. If you think you may have been exposed — for example, if you work in an environment where anthrax is likely to occur — see a doctor immediately for evaluation and care.

If you develop signs and symptoms of the disorder after exposure to animals or animal products in parts of the world where anthrax is common, seek prompt medical attention. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. Anthrax spores are formed by anthrax bacteria that occur naturally in soil in most parts of the world. If you develop cutaneous skin anthrax, the drainage from an open sore presents a low risk of infection to others. The only way cutaneous skin anthrax can be transmitted is by direct contact with the drainage from an open sore.

Anthrax is not spread from person to person by casual contact, sharing office space or by coughing and sneezing. Anthrax is diagnosed when the Bacillus anthracis bacterium is found in the blood, skin lesions or respiratory secretions by a laboratory culture.

It can also be diagnosed by measuring specific antibodies in the blood of infected persons. Nasal swabs are not a good way to diagnose anthrax because a swab cannot definitively determine if someone has not been exposed to anthrax.

There are several antibiotics that are used successfully to treat anthrax. Treatment is highly effective in cases of cutaneous skin anthrax and is effective in inhalation and gastrointestinal anthrax if begun early in the course of infection.

The United States has a large supply of these antibiotics and can quickly manufacture more if needed. Persons known to be exposed to confirmed anthrax spores will be given antibiotics, usually ciprofloxacin cipro or doxycycline, for several weeks to prevent infection. Most threats regarding anthrax have proven to be hoaxes. However, in the event of a possible exposure to a powder or other unknown substance with a threat that may indicate anthrax, call and leave the material alone.

To prevent infection if you have a skin exposure to the powder or other substance, wash your hands vigorously with soap and water, and shower with soap and water if necessary. Similarly, washing possibly contaminated clothes in the regular laundry will safely remove any possible anthrax.

To be inhaled, anthrax spores must first be aerosolized dispersed in the air which does not usually occur. In the unlikely event that you do inhale spores, medical evaluation and treatment is needed. Navigation menu. How common is anthrax and who can get it? How is anthrax spread? Most persons who are exposed to anthrax become ill within one week but can take as long as 42 days for inhalation anthrax: Skin cutaneous - Most anthrax infections occur when people touch contaminated animal products like wool, bone, hair and hide.

The infection occurs when the bacteria enters a cut or scratch in the skin. Inhalation anthrax results from breathing in spores and is of great concern due to its high fatality rate.

Person-to-person spread is rare. Anthrax infections occur naturally in wild and unvaccinated domestic animals in many countries including the U. Workers can be infected if they are exposed to infected animals or to meat or products such as wool or hides from infected animals. Emergency response workers, including law enforcement, public health, and healthcare workers, are also at risk of exposure if B.

Anthrax Instructor Training — This training provides instructions for the collection of environmental Bacillus anthracis spores from nonporous surfaces using macrofoam swabs and cellulose sponges. Workers may be exposed to B. Workers at risk include farmers, veterinarians, livestock handlers, diagnostic laboratory workers, and those who work with animal products.

Cutaneous anthrax infections may occur from skin contact with contaminated animal carcasses, wool, hides, or fur. Inhalation anthrax infections may occur from breathing in spores that may have been aerosolized either by processing or working with spore-contaminated animal products. Gastrointestinal anthrax may result from eating under-cooked meat from infected animals or from ingesting aerosolized spores.

Imported animal hides have recently been associated with a number of anthrax cases cutaneous, inhalation, or gastrointestinal anthrax in the U.