Anthrax
is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming
bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly
occurs in hoofed mammals and can also infect humans.
Symptoms
of disease vary depending on how the disease was contracted,
but usually occur within 7 days after exposure. The serious
forms of human anthrax are inhalation anthrax, cutaneous anthrax,
and intestinal anthrax.
Initial
symptoms of inhalation anthrax infection may resemble a common
cold. After several days, the symptoms may progress to severe
breathing problems and shock. Inhalation anthrax is often
fatal.
The intestinal
disease form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated
food and is characterized by an acute inflammation of the
intestinal tract. Initial signs are usually:
Nausea
Fever
Loss
of appetite
Vomiting
and fever are followed by:
Abdominal
pain,
Vomiting
of blood and,
Severe
Diarrhea.
Anthrax
symptoms depend on how the person got the disease. These are
the symptoms for the three ways to get anthrax:
Inhalation
(breathing) — Initial symptoms are much like a common
cold, and may mimic flu-like symptoms. However, several hours
to several days later they progress to severe breathing problems
and shock.
Cutaneous
(skin) — Skin infection begins as a raised itchy bump
that resembles an insect bite, but within one to two days
develops into a sore, and then into a painless ulcer with
a black (dead) center. Lymph glands in the adjacent area may
swell.
Intestinal
(eating) — Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite,
vomiting, and fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting
of blood, and severe diarrhea.
Direct
person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely,
if it occurs at all. Therefore, there is no need to immunize
or treat contacts of persons ill with anthrax, such as household
contacts, friends, or coworkers, unless they also were also
exposed to the same source of infection.
In
persons exposed to anthrax, infection can be prevented with
antibiotic treatment. ² Early antibiotic treatment of anthrax
is essentialºdelay lessens chances for survival. Anthrax usually
is susceptible to penicillin, doxycycline, and fluoroquinolones
-- which includes Cipro, also known as ciprofloxacin.
An anthrax
vaccine also can prevent infection. Vaccination against anthrax
is not recommended for the general public to prevent disease
and is not available.
Information
from the CDC and used with their permission. For more, visit
their site; click on the logo.
