AnthraxAnthrax is a disease caused by gram-positive bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. It is not contagious meaning it cannot be transmitted from person to person.

It is more often found in South and Central America, South and East Europe, Asia and Africa. Anthrax is rare in developed countries but it occurs, largely in countries lacking public-health regulations.

Anthrax is spread by soil borne spores. Animals can become infected when they breathe in or ingest spores in contaminated soil, plants, or water.

When anthrax spores get inside the body, they can be activated. When they become active, the bacteria multiplies spreading out in the body and produce toxins (poisons).

Humans can get infected by: inhaling spores (Inhalation), eating uncooked meat from animals that had anthrax (Gastrointestinal), getting the spores through cuts in skin (Cutaneous)

Intestine Anthrax occurs after eating undercooked meat from an animal that has anthrax infection.An upset stomach develops 2-5 days afterward. Later there can be bloody diarrhea, fever, and severe stomach pain.

Skin Anthrax occurs when spores enter the body through a break in the skin.It starts as a Red-brown raised spot that enlarges with considerable redness around it, blistering, and hardening. There are swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the area. Symptoms include muscle aches and pain, headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The illness usually resolves in about six weeks, but deaths may occur if patients do not receive appropriate antibiotics.

Lung Anthrax or Pneumonia occurs by breathing in anthrax spores.After exposure, it usually takes 2-7 days (but sometimes up to 2 months) until illness starts.First there are a few days of symptoms like headache, cough, and muscle aches. Then after a few days, there can be trouble breathing, chest pain, large lymph glands, worse headache, stomach pain, and vomiting or diarrhea. With lung anthrax, bacteria almost always enter the bloodstream, leading to severe illness or death.

Concentrated anthrax spores were used for bioterrorism in the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States.They were delivered by mailing postal letters containing the spores which sent to several news media offices and two Democratic senators: Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont. As a result, 22 were infected and five died

There is already a vaccine (by Louis Pasteure in 1881) to protect American troops against the use of anthrax in biological warfare but is not available to the public because it can be treated by antibiotics (except lung anthrax).