Anthrax Microbiology, Disease Forms, Treatment & History

What bacterium causes anthrax?

Bacillus anthracis.

Is B. anthracis gram-positive or gram-negative?

Gram-positive.

What is the shape of B. anthracis?

Rod-shaped.

What resistant structure does B. anthracis form?

Endospores.

What animals are common anthrax hosts?

Livestock.

How do people usually acquire cutaneous anthrax?

Handling contaminated animal hides or tissues.

What are the main forms of anthrax?

Cutaneous, gastrointestinal, pulmonary/inhalational, and rare injection anthrax.

What does cutaneous anthrax typically look like?

An initially painless itchy bump progressing to a sore with a black center.

What does the name anthrax refer to?

Greek for coal, referring to black skin lesions.

How does gastrointestinal anthrax occur?

Eating contaminated infected meat.

What symptoms can gastrointestinal anthrax cause?

Fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea.

How is inhalational anthrax acquired?

Breathing in anthrax spores.

What happens to inhaled spores inside macrophages?

They may survive transport to lymph nodes and then multiply.

What are early inhalational anthrax symptoms?

Flu-like fever, malaise, and headache.

What severe symptoms can inhalational anthrax progress to?

Chest pain, respiratory distress, shock, and coma.

What does the lecture say about untreated inhalational anthrax fatality?

It approaches 100%.

What is the untreated fatality rate for cutaneous anthrax?

About 24%.

What is the fatality range for gastrointestinal anthrax?

About 25-60%.

Who isolated the anthrax bacterium in 1877?

Robert Koch.

Who developed an early successful anthrax vaccine?

Louis Pasteur.

What did Pasteur's sheep demonstration show?

Vaccinated sheep survived anthrax challenge while unvaccinated sheep died.

What antibiotics are used to treat anthrax?

Ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and penicillin.

Why may antibiotics alone be insufficient in advanced anthrax disease?

They kill bacteria but do not neutralize already released toxins.

What newer treatments help neutralize anthrax toxin?

Monoclonal antibodies and anthrax immune globulin.

Why are anthrax-contaminated sites hard to clean?

Long-lived resistant spores are difficult to destroy.

What is an autoclave used for?

High-temperature, high-pressure sterilization including spores.

What was the Ames strain associated with?

The 2001 anthrax letter attacks.

What island was used in British anthrax experiments?

Gruinard Island.

Why is anthrax discussed in bioterrorism?

Its spores can be deliberately dispersed and cause severe disease.