Anthrax

Description

Anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by a spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax affects mainly cattle breeding and hunting. Humans can become infected through direct or indirect contact with sick animals.

There is No evidence that anthrax is transmitted from person to person, but it is possible that the anthrax skin lesions can spread the disease through direct contact or by contact with a contaminated object (fomite). Generally, the anthrax bacteria enter the body through a wound in the skin. You can also become infected by eating contaminated meat or inhalation of the spores.

The signs and symptoms depend on how you are infected, you can include sores on the skin, vomiting, and shock. Immediate treatment with antibiotics can cure most infections of anthrax. Inhalation anthrax is the most difficult to treat and can be fatal.

Anthrax is very rare in the developed world. However, the disease remains a matter of concern because the bacteria have been used in terrorist attacks in the united States.

Symptoms

There are four common routes of anthrax infection, each with different signs and symptoms. In most cases, the symptoms develop within six days of exposure to the bacteria. However, it is possible that the inhalation anthrax symptoms to take more than six weeks to appear.

Cutaneous anthrax

A related with the skin (skin) anthrax infection enters your body through the skin, usually through a cut or other pain. It is, by far, the most common route of the disease. It is also the most gentle. With appropriate treatment, cutaneous anthrax is rarely fatal. Signs and symptoms include:

  • A raised, itchy bump that resembles an insect bite that quickly turns into a painless sore with a black center
  • Swelling of the sore, and the nearby lymph nodes
  • Sometimes, flu-like symptoms, including a fever and headache

Gastrointestinal anthrax

A gastrointestinal anthrax results of the infection by eating raw meat of an infected animal. You can affect the gastrointestinal tract from the throat to the colon. Signs and symptoms include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Headache
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fever
  • Severe diarrhea with blood in the later stages of the disease
  • The sore throat and difficulty swallowing
  • Swelling of the neck

Inhalational anthrax

Inhalation anthrax develops when you inhale the spores of anthrax. It is the most lethal form of the disease, and is often fatal, even with treatment. Initial signs and symptoms include:

  • Flu-like symptoms for a couple of hours or days, such as sore throat, mild fever, fatigue and muscle aches
  • Discomfort in the chest
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea
  • Coughing up blood
  • Pain when swallowing.
  • High fever
  • Difficulty breathing
  • The shock of a serious medical condition that involves the collapse of the circulatory system
  • Meningitis

Injection anthrax

This recently identified route of anthrax infection has been reported only in Europe. It is contracted through the injection of illegal drugs. Initial signs and symptoms include:

  • Redness at the injection site (without an area that changes to black)
  • Significant swelling
  • Download
  • Multiple organ failure
  • Meningitis

When to see a doctor

Many common diseases with symptoms similar to the flu. The chances of sore throat and pain in the muscles due to anthrax are extremely small.

If you think you may have been exposed — for example, if you work in an environment where anthrax is likely to happen — immediately consult with a doctor for evaluation and care. If they develop signs and symptoms of the disease after exposure to animals or products of animal origin in parts of the world where anthrax is common, seek immediate medical attention. The early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

Causes

Anthrax spores are formed by anthrax bacteria that occur naturally in the soil in most parts of the world. The spores can remain dormant for years until finding its way on a host. Common hosts of anthrax include wild or domestic livestock, such as sheep, cows, horses and goats.

Although it is rare in the united States, anthrax is still common throughout the developing world, in places such as Central America and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and southwest Asia, southern Europe and Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean.

Most cases of anthrax occur as a result of exposure to infected animals or their meat or pelts. In the united States, some people have developed anthrax, while the traditional African drums from the skins of infected animals.

One of the few known cases of non-animal transmission was a bioterrorism attack that occurred in the united States in 2001. Twenty-two people developed anthrax after being exposed to the spores sent through the mail, and five of the infected people died.

More recently, in two outbreaks, the heroin users in Europe contracted anthrax through the injection of illegal drugs. A total of 40 people were killed. The heroin sold in Europe is likely to come from areas where naturally occurring anthrax is more common.

Risk factors

To get anthrax, you must come in direct contact with anthrax spores. This is more likely if you:

  • In the army and was sent to an area with a high risk of exposure to anthrax
  • Working with anthrax in a laboratory environment
  • Handle animal skins, hides, skins or wool from areas with a high incidence of anthrax
  • Work in veterinary medicine, especially if you deal with livestock
  • The door handle or the gown of the game— while anthrax is rare in the united States, there are occasional outbreaks in domestic cattle and wild animals such as deer
  • Inject illegal drugs, such as heroin

Complications

The most serious complications of the disease include:

  • Your body will not be able to respond to the infection normally, which leads to damage of multiple organs and systems (sepsis)
  • Inflammation of the membranes and fluid that covers the brain and spinal cord, leading to massive hemorrhage (meningitis, hemorrhagic) and the death

Prevention

To prevent infection after exposure to anthrax spores, the us Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:

  • 60 days of treatment with antibiotics ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, erythromycin, and levofloxacin is approved for adults and children
  • A three-dose series of the vaccine against anthrax
  • In some cases, treatment with monoclonal antibodies — raxibacumab and obiltoxaximab

The vaccine against anthrax

An anthrax vaccine is available for certain groups of people. The vaccine does not contain live bacteria, and may not lead to infection. However, the vaccine can cause side effects, ranging from pain in the injection site for more-severe allergic reactions.

The vaccine is not intended for the general public. Instead, it is reserved for military personnel, scientists working with anthrax, and people in other high-risk professions.

Avoid infected animals

If you live or are traveling in a country where anthrax is common and herds of animals are not routinely vaccinated, avoid contact with livestock and animal skins as much as possible. Also, avoid the consumption of meat that has not been properly cooked.

Even in developed countries, it is important to handle any type of dead animal with careful and take precautions when working with or imported processing of hides, skins and wool.

Anthrax

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you what type of work, along with other questions to determine the likelihood of having been exposed to anthrax. He or she first to rule out other, more common conditions that could cause the signs and symptoms, such as influenza (flu) and pneumonia.

Tests

You can have a rapid flu test to quickly diagnose a case of the flu. If other tests are negative, you may have more tests to specifically look for anthrax, such as:

  • The skin tests. A sample of fluid from a suspicious lesion on the skin or in a small sample of tissue (biopsy) can be tested in a laboratory for signs of cutaneous anthrax.
  • Blood tests. You can have a small amount of blood examined in a laboratory for the anthrax bacteria.
  • Chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT scan). Your doctor may order a chest x-ray or a computed tomography (CT) scan to help diagnose anthrax by inhalation.
  • Stool testing. To diagnose gastrointestinal anthrax, your doctor may examine a sample of your stool to the anthrax bacteria.
  • Lumbar puncture (lumbar puncture). In this test, the doctor inserts a needle into the spinal canal and withdraw a small amount of liquid. A lumbar puncture is recommended at any time, the doctors suspect systemic anthrax anthrax and other skin due to the possibility of meningitis.

Treatment

The standard treatment for anthrax is the use of antibiotics, and in some cases of the antitoxin. The specific antibiotic chosen will depend on a number of factors, including whether there is a need to treat a lot of people. That single antibiotic or combination of antibiotics, and the duration of treatment will be most effective for you depends on how you were infected with anthrax, the strain of anthrax, your age, your general state of health and other concerns. The treatment is most effective when initiated as soon as possible.

Since the 2001 attacks on the united States, researchers have developed an antitoxin therapies — raxibacumab and obiltoxaximab — for inhalation anthrax. Instead of going after the bacteria that cause the disease, these medications help eliminate the toxins caused by the infection. Anthrax immune globulin may also be used to neutralize the toxins. These drugs are administered in addition to antibiotics are available to doctors through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A few cases of injection of anthrax have been successfully treated with the surgical removal of the infected tissue.

Although some cases of anthrax respond to antibiotics, advanced inhalation anthrax may not. By the late stages of the disease, the bacteria have often produced more toxins from drugs, you can delete it.

Along with antibiotics, people with anthrax can be treated with the intensity of supportive care, including ventilators, fluids, and medications to tighten the blood vessels and increase blood pressure (vasopressors).

Preparing for your appointment

The symptoms of the disease can appear suddenly and can be very serious. If you know that you have been exposed to anthrax or if you develop symptoms after possible exposure, go immediately to the emergency room.

If you have time before you go:

  • Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that seem unrelated to anthrax exposure.
  • Write down key personal information. You have recently traveled to a part of the world where anthrax is endemic? They are exposed to the raising of livestock, animal hunting or animal skins in their work or hobbies?
  • Make a list of all the medicines, vitamins, and supplements you are taking.
  • Have a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember that the information provided in the hospital or during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write down questions to ask your doctor. For example, if you are diagnosed with anthrax, you will want to know the route of infection, the proposed treatment and its prognosis.
The symptoms and the treatment of Anthrax