Animal Sciences - Anthrax

Anthrax

Animals

• Primarily affects and is fatal to herbivores

• Beef cattle, bison (Alberta)

• Infected by ingesting spores from soil

• Spores can survive in environment for years-decades

• Highly lethal

Humans

• can get from handling animal products

• Not contagious

• Small risk of infection from lesions on another’s body

• Highly lethal

Contracting anthrax

• Cutaneous anthrax

• Gastrointestinal anthrax

• Inhalation anthrax (pulmonary)

• Injection anthrax

Cutaneous anthrax

Majority of human cases

Handling infected animal products’

80% survival

Gastrointestinal anthrax

Consumption of raw or undercooked meat

50% survival

Inhalation (pulmonary) anthrax

Wool mills, slaughterhouse, tanneries

10-15% survival

60% with treatment

Injection Anthrax

Drug users (heroin)

Europe

2009-2010

Bacillus Anthracis

• gram positive

• Vegetative cycle

• Sporulation

  • requires free oxygen

  • Occurs upon exposure to air

  • Environmentally stable

Anthrax Spores

• essential to the survival of the bacterium

• Extremely environmentally stable

Recent anthrax outbreaks

• 1979 Russia

  • biological weapons factory

• 2009-2010 Scotland

  • anthrax laced heroin

• 2001 United States

  • bioterrorist-related cases

Anthrax in Alberta

Notifiable disease in Alberta

And

Reportable disease in Canada

Anthrax in Siberia

• 2,500 reindeer died

• 100 people hospitalized

• 1 death

Cause

• heatwave melted permafrost from an outbreak 75 years ago

Or

• decline in vaccinations of reindeer populations

• Increase of reindeer population