Introduction
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by bacterium bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects humans and animals. They are effective vaccines of anthrax and some forms of the diseases responds well to antibiotic treatment.
Bacillus anthracis can form dormant endo-spores that are able to survive in harsh condition for decades or even centuries. Such spores can be formed on all continents. When spores are inhaled, ingested, or come into contact with a skin lesion on a host, they may become reactivated and multiply rapidly.
Anthrax commonly infects wild and domesticated herbivorous mammals that ingest or inhale the spores wile grazing. Ingestion is through to be the most common route by which herbivorous contract anthrax carnivores living in the same environment may become infected by consuming infected animals.
Diseased animals can spread anthrax to humans either by direct contact e.g inoculation of infected blood to broken skin, or by consumption of a diseased animal flesh. Anthrax spores can be produced in vitro and used as a biological weapon. Anthrax typically does not cause diseases in carnivores and scavengers, even when this animal consume anthrax infected carcass.
Anthrax outbreaks do occur in some wild animal population with some regularity. The disease is more common in countries with wild spread veterinary or human health programmers. In 21st century, anthrax is still a problem in less developed countries. An outbreak of anthrax in human who had eaten meat from a dead caribou was reported in Cagayan province in the Philippe’s in early Zolo, with over 400 cases of illness and at least two facilities.
Bacillus anthracis bacterial spores are soil-borne. It is because of their long life span, spore are present globally and remain at the burial site of animals killed by anthrax for many decades. Disturbed graves sites of infected animals have caused re-infection over 70 years after the animal’s interment.
Signs and symptoms of anthrax
Pulmonary, respiratory infections in humans initially present with cold or flu like symptoms from several days.
Causes of anthrax
Bacillilus anthracis is a rod shape, gram-positive, aerobic bacterium about 1by a micrometers in size. It was shown to cause disease by Robert Koch in 1876, when he took a blood sample from an infected cow, isolated the bacterium and put into a mouse. The bacterium normally rest in endo-spore form in the soil and can survive for decades in this state.
Herbivores are often infected while grazing or blowing, especially when eating rough, irritant, or spiky vegetation. The vegetation has been hypothesized to cause wounds within the gastro intestinal tract permitting the entry of the bacteria endo-spores into the tissues, though this has not been proven.
Once ingested or placed in an open wound, the bacterium begins multiplying inside the animals or humans and typically kills the host within a few days or weeks. The endo-spores germinate at the site of entering into the tissues and then spread via the circulation to the lymphatic, where the bacteria multiply.
Exposure to anthrax
Occupational exposure to infected animal or their products such skin, wool and meat, is a usual part way of exposure for humans. Workers who are exposed to dead animal’s products are at the highest risk especially in countries were anthrax is more common. Anthrax in livestock grazing on open range were they mix with wild animals still occasionally occurs in the United States and elsewhere. Many workers who deal with wool and animals are routinely exposed to low levels of anthrax spores but most exposures are not sufficient to develop anthrax infections.
Treatment for anthrax
Anthrax cannot be spread directly from person to person, but a person’s clothing and body may be contaminated with anthrax spores. Effective decontamination of people can be accomplished by a thorough was down with an anti-microbial effective soap and water.
Waste water should be treated with bleach or other anti-microbial agents. Effective decontamination of articles can be accomplished by boiling contaminated article in water for 30 minutes or longer. Chlorine bleach is ineffective in destroying spores and vegetative cells on surfaces, though formaldehyde is effective.
Burning clothing is very effective in destroying spores. After decontamination, there is no need to immunize, treat, or isolate contacts of person’s ill with anthrax unless they were also expose to the same sources of infection.
Anti-biotics
Early anti-biotic treatment of anthrax is essential delay is significantly lessons chances for survival. Treatment for anthrax infection and other bacterial infections includes large doses of intravenous and oral anti-biotic, such as fluroquinolones (like ciprofloxacin) doxycycline, electhromycm, vancomycm or penicillin. FDA-approved agents include ciprofloxacin, docycycline and penicillin. In possible cases of inhalation anthrax, early anti-biotic prophylaxis treatment is crucial to prevent possible death.
Conclusion
Anthrax spores infection can survive for very long periods of time in the environment after release. Chemical method for cleaning anthrax contaminated site or materials may use oxidizing agents such as peroxide, ethylene oxides, Scandia foam, and chlorine dioxide. Non oxidizing agents effective for anthrax decontamination include methyl bromide. The Agent destroys bacteria spore’s infections.
References
French Louis Pasteur (1881): He developed the first effective vaccine.
Robert Koch (1876): From the original on 5 July, 2008.
Drajon. D.C. Elkin B.T, Nishi, JS, Ellsworth, TR (1999): A reviewer of anthrax in Canada and implication for research on the disease in northern bison.
Prince Adada Frank (2013): Some Knowledge about anthrax unpublished.
