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Anthrax, NIAID, NIH
Anthrax, NIAID, NIH
CDC Anthrax
MMWR: Inhalation Anthrax Associated with Animal Hides Pennsylvania & New York City
MedlinePlus: Anthrax
Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis , a microbe that lives in soil. Many people know about it from the 2001 bioterror attacks. In the attacks, someone purposely spread Anthrax through the U.S. mail. This killed five people and made 22 sick.
Anthrax Information
The only known effective pre-exposure prevention against Anthrax is the Anthrax vaccine. The vaccine was developed from an attenuated strain of B. anthracis . The vaccine derives from the cell-free culture filtrate of this strain and, in its final formulation, is adsorbed onto an aluminum salt. A well controlled clinical trial using an Anthrax vaccine similar to the licensed Anthrax vaccine was conducted in U.S. mill workers processing imported animal hair. During the trial, 26 cases of Anthrax were reported at the mills - five inhalation and 21 cutaneous cases. Of the five inhalation cases, two individuals had received the placebo, while three individuals were in the observational group. Four of the five people who developed inhalation Anthrax died. No cases of inhalation Anthrax occurred in Anthrax vaccine recipients. Based upon a comparison between the Anthrax vaccine and placebo recipients, the authors calculated a vaccine efficacy level of 92.5 percent.
Anthrax eTool: Home
. It is generally acquired following
contact with Anthrax-infected animals or Anthrax-contaminated
animal products. Anthrax has received heightened
attention recently because of its use as a biological
warfare agent.
Health Alert Network - Archive System
Anthrax organisms can cause infection in the skin, gastrointestinal system, or the lungs. To do, so the organism must be rubbed into abraded skin, swallowed, or inhaled as a fine, aerosolized mist. Disease can be prevented after exposure to the Anthrax spores by early treatment with the appropriate antibiotics. Anthrax is not spread from one person to another person.
MedlinePlus Interactive Tutorials: Anthrax
MedlinePlus Interactive Tutorials: Anthrax
FBI - Anthrax Letters - 10/23/01
FBI - Anthrax Letters - 10/ 23/ 01
Disease Listing, Anthrax, General Information | CDC Bacterial, Mycotic Diseases
Disease Listing, Anthrax, General Information | CDC Bacterial, Mycotic Diseases
Anthrax eTool: What is anthrax?
Most
(about 95 percent) Anthrax infections occur
when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion
on the skin, such as when handling contaminated
wool, hides, leather, or hair products (especially
goat hair) of infected animals. Skin infection
begins as a raised itchy bump that resembles
an insect bite but within 1-2 days develops
into a vesicle and then a painless ulcer, usually
1-3 centimeters in diameter, with a characteristic
black necrotic (dying) area in the center.
Lymph glands in the adjacent area may swell.
About 20 percent of untreated cases of cutaneous
Anthrax will result in death. Deaths are rare
with appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
Update On Investigation of Inhalation Anthrax Case in NYC Resident : Press Releases : NYC DOHMH
NEW YORK CITY February 23, 2006 The Health Department is continuing to work closely with the NYPD, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pennsylvania health officials, and several other City, state and federal health and law enforcement agencies to investigate a case of inhalation Anthrax in a New York City resident. All information obtained to date continues to indicate that this is a naturally occurring infection. Updates will continue as more information becomes available. The follow updates the initial February 22 announcement made by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:
Anthrax Fact Sheet : New York City AWARE : NYC DOHMH
Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions of the world where Anthrax in animals occurs, including: South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. Anthrax occasionally occurs in animal herds in the United States as well, but until 2001, cases in humans were rare. Typically, when Anthrax affects humans, it usually is from an occupational exposure to infected animals or animal products, such as wool, hides and/ or hair. However, those at-risk during the 2001 outbreak included persons who had come into contact with contaminated mail, such as postal, news media, and government employees.
APHIS | News
Anthrax spores. Bites from flies and other insects that may harbor vegetative
2001.10.10:Q&As About Anthrax Prevention and Treatment
A: Although FDA does not regulate the practice of medicine, the agency is strongly recommending that physicians not prescribe Cipro for individual patients to have on hand for possible use against inhaled Anthrax. In addition to the potential influence on supply of the drug, indiscriminate prescribing and widespread use of Cipro could hasten the development of drug-resistant organisms.
OPHEPR; Anthrax - Frequently Asked Questions
In most
cases, early treatment with antibiotics can cure cutaneous
Anthrax. Even if untreated, 80 percent of people who become
infected with cutaneous Anthrax do not die. Gastrointestinal
Anthrax is more serious because between one-fourth and more
than half of cases lead to death. Inhalation Anthrax is much
more severe. In 2001, about half of the cases of inhalation
Anthrax ended in death.
Annihilating Anthrax
What lies inside is bad news for Anthrax. Swirling air forces spores through a bewildering maze of thin tubes bristling with hydroxyl (OH - ) ions that attack and destroy pathogens. Some spores are buffeted against the OH - -lined walls of the labyrinth. Others are caught in windy eddies where they linger, exposed to high-energy (254 nm) ultraviolet photons. Every second, one hundred billion such photons bathe the chamber -- and just one is enough to destroy a spore.
Notifiable Condition: Anthrax
Nine cases of human Anthrax have been recorded in Washington State since 1924; the last human case of Anthrax occurred in 1954. Potential exposures in Washington for cutaneous Anthrax include out of state or international animal products (meat, hides, wool, hair, bone meal) or travel to areas where Anthrax is endemic. A single case of pulmonary Anthrax would be suggestive of bioterrorism.
What's the Difference Between Flu and Anthrax Symptoms?
Many illnesses begin with symptoms commonly referred to as "flu-like" symptoms. These include fever, lack of energy, and muscle aches. If you feel that you may have Anthrax, see your doctor right away.
Anthrax Fact Sheet
Most people in the United States are at minimal risk for coming into contact with Anthrax. There is a vaccine for Anthrax. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends the vaccine for individuals who come in contact in the workplace with imported animal hides, furs, bonemeal, wool, animal hair (especially goat hair),and bristles; and for individuals engaged in diagnostic or investigational activities which may bring them into contact with Anthrax spores. Because Anthrax is also considered to be a potential agent for use in biological warfare, the Department of Defense announced in 1998 that it will begin systematic vaccination of all United States military personnel.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Amerithrax
At
the same time, the scientific advances gained from this case are
unprecedented and have greatly strengthened the nation s ability
to prepare for and investigate biological attacks. Since the
first Anthrax mailing, investigators have worked hand in hand with the scientific
community both to solve this case and to be better positioned in the event
of a future attack.
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