Anthrax - Causes and Treatments for the Modern Day Threat

We have all heard about Anthrax with the recent terrorism tactics used by the enemies of the United States. So what is anthrax, where did it come from, and what should we know about it? Anthrax is a bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthraces that affects livestock in general, but can occasionally be spread to humans. It affects the skin, intestines, and lungs in humans and can often be treated. Anthrax in animals means almost always death. It is most often found in south and Central America and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Anthrax is a rarity in the US. Cases that have been reported are mainly from the states Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Okalahoma, and South Dakota. A trademark of the disease that can lead to proper diagnoses is a black sore that almost looks like a piece of coal.

In 1957 an outbreak of Anthrax arose in the US when nine employees in a goat hair processing plant became very ill after handling a contaminated shipment form Pakistan. Four of these people died as a result of Anthrax. In the 1970s there was another outbreak when contaminated goatskins from Haiti were brought to the US as souvenirs. Today anthrax is very rare even among the cattle due to an available vaccination. The bacteria look like a large rod under a microscope. The spores resist destruction and remain viable in the soil and in animal products for years, and even decades. You can receive Anthrax through the skin form eating meat contaminated with the poison. You can also receive a disease in the lungs if you inhale the spores of Anthrax. This type of Anthrax is often fatal.