Anthrax: A Zoonotic Disease

In 1994, Gloucestershire, England was assailed by the infamous and unstoppable "flesh-eating bacteria" or Necrotizing Fasciitis, which virtually devoured its victims to death (2). In March of 1996, 2.6 million cows were slaughtered in the United Kingdom in an effort to rid themselves of the invasion of the Mad Cow disease. Another term for Mad Cow disease is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which is a disease observed solely in cattle. Mad Cow disease or BSE is transmitted to humans via the consumption of infected beef resulting in a fatal human brain disorder known as Creutzfeldt-Jacob (CJD). As a result of this "British beef scare" 32 people died of CJD, of whose deaths were linked to Mad Cow disease (10.e). Similarly, 1 million chickens were gassed to death in Hong Kong in 1997 in order to prevent the already undertaking spread of Influenza A (H5N1) or "Bird Flu". The worst Influenza A epidemic occurred in the United States killing 20 million people in 1918 (10.b). In New York last month, five people died of a rare encephalitis disease caused by a West Nile-like virus, which is believed to have been transmitted from birds, who researchers found to have died from the West Nile virus (8). Finally, and probably the most menacing disease ever in human history would have to be HIV and AIDS, which is still infecting the human population worldwide in gross amounts.

Zoonotic diseases is a serious and major concern to human health. What is a zoonosis? Zoonoses are diseases that are caused by pathogens that can infect different animals that has the ability to pass to humans. Zoonotic pathogens also destroy biodiversity in fragile wildlife. They cause many effects to humans in many different ways. Zoonosis are very important to study because scientists await a challenge on developing vaccines on a developing cure on human aids. Zoontic diseases are dangerous because it can spread by mosquitos, and ticks.

Anthrax is believed to originated in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Many scholars believe that anthrax was the fifth plague of the ten plagues of Egypt. Which was believed to bring sickness to cattle, horses, sheep, oxen and camels. Some scholars believe that anthrax helped the fall of Rome. The bacterial illness was mentioned in different famous roman literature such as homers the Iliad, and in different poems by Virgil just to name a few.

The Mission of the CDC is to protect America from health, safety, and security threats,

Also, the anthrax spores can take between 1 - 60 days to begin to germinate in the body.

While domestic and wild animals are the most likely living things to contract anthrax in America, it is very unlikely that anyone or anything will catch it because anthrax vaccinations are very highly recommended in areas where the disease has been found before. For a person to contract the disease from an infected animal, he or she would have to either eat undercooked meat from that animal or get blood or other bodily fluid into an open wound on his or her skin. Other ways to contract the disease are to breathe in the spores, eat or drink something that has been infected with spores, or get spores in a cut or scrape (Anthrax, 2014).

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can be transmitted via airborne methods such as bioterrorism, where it is used as a weapon and released into the air to cause infection, or by breathing in anthrax spores from infected animal products such as wool. Humans can also become infected by direct contact, from handling infected animal products, or by vehicular transmission from eating undercooked meat from infected animals causing gastrointestinal anthrax. Anthrax is not passed from one person to another. (Arthur Schoenstadt, 2017).

Anthrax exists in nature. It can be produced in lab and use it as a weapon. United States of America had an experience with anthrax attack in 2001. Inhalation anthrax is the most serious form (CDC, 2014). The symptoms of inhalation anthrax are fever, malaise, headache, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain (U.SN of Library Medicine, 2016).

anthracis can infect humans is by inhalation. This way of contracting anthrax is rarer and should be taken seriously because it raises the possibility of the intentional spread of spores. This form is also much more dangerous than a cutaneous infection, because even with the use of antibiotics and antiserum, the mortality rate can still be higher than 90%. Early diagnosis and the implementation of antibiotics are crucial for survival. In the 19th century, it was known as “woolsorter’s disease”, where factory workers handling raw animal products such as wool fell ill with anthrax. In the sorting process, the rustled contaminated products would send spores airborne, finding their way into the respiratory tracts of the workers. The alveolar phagocytes consume the bacteria, carrying them into the lymphatic system where they break free and are released into circulation. The prodromal stage of infection closely resembles that of the flu: headache, malaise, fatigue, photophobia, dry cough. But not too long after more severe symptoms can develop, such as high fever, respiratory distress, difficulty breathing, intense sweating, chest pain and confusion. These symptoms can indicate bacteremia, and the diagnosis and immediate treatment of antibiotics are important in this stage of infection. If the appropriate steps are not carried out, sepsis, meningitis, and multiple organ failure can occur as a result of the overwhelming bacteremia, almost always ending in

Before the 20th century, the use of biological agents took three major forms, Deliberate contamination of food and water with poisonous or contagious material using of microbes, biological toxins, animals, or plants (living or dead) in a weapon system, using of biologically inoculated fabrics and persons. Now a day sophisticated bacteriological and virological techniques allowed the production of significant stockpiles of weaponized bio-agents such as; Anthrax, Brucella, Tularemia, Smallpox, Viral hemorrhagic fevers, Botulinum, Ricin, (Legvold, 2012).The most likely route of dissemination is an aerosolized release of 1-5mm particles. Other methods of dissemination include oral, intentional contamination of food/water supply, percutaneous,

The purpose of this paper is to focus on a subject within my educational field that I can research and inform the public about. I plan to become a veterinarian .which would require my daily contact with humans and animals. Zoonotic diseases are risk factors that I have to be aware of in order to protect myself as well as my patients and their owners. Luckily developments in medicine have made it possible to cure zoonotic diseases and even prevent them from ever being contracted.

Smallpox is a deadly disease that caused death and trauma for a long period of time (WHO). Smallpox supposedly started three thousand years ago in Egypt. As people traded from country to country, so was smallpox. Smallpox was extremely deathly, that 3 out of ten people died. (WHO) Smallpox is caused by a infection with the variola virus. (Mayo Clinic) A person coughing, sneezing, or even talking can transmit smallpox.(Mayo Clinic) A fever was usually the first symptom of Smallpox. After a couple days rashes would occur on the individual and sores would surround the inside of the mouth and nose. (The College of Physicians and Philadelphia) It started to spread so much that the people called it the epidemic disease. The Revolutionary

There are several epidemics in the world, but the one that stands out the most and has a large affect on people is smallpox. An epidemic is a widespread occurrence of and infectious disease in a community at a particular time. There are several epidemics and lots of them are very dangerous and can lead to very severe sickness or even death. For example there are more diseases that land in the epidemic “family” such as HIV, AIDS, Herpes, and Gonorrhea just to give you an idea on however I am going to talk about smallpox. HIV is the disease and AIDS is the virus leading to the final stage of HIV disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system. Herpes is and infection of the lip, mouth and gums due to the

It is possible to “accidently” infect this disease versus a proposed terrorist threat. Specific risk factors are subject but not limited to, animal contact i.e. hunting, trapping, or butchering. This may also include, working with infected animals, eating them, or being bit by

The environmental pathogen I chose from the California Code of Regulations, Title 17 is anthrax. The anthrax genus is Bacillus and the species is anthracis, it is a Gram-positive spore-forming bacillus. The methods of identification for anthrax are three different types the first one is a skin lesion that has evolved over 2 to 6 days from a papule, through a vesicular stage to a depressed black eschar, with considerable swelling around the lesion. The second one is a respiratory illness of abrupt onset followed by the development of dyspnoea progressing to hypoxia, with X-ray evidence of mediastinal widening. The third identification of anthrax is abdominal distress that is followed by fever and signs of septicaemia which is rare and 90% of cases are cutaneous anthrax. The incubation period for anthrax for cutaneous is typically 1 day, for inhalational is within 7 days although incubation periods up to 60 days are possible, and gastrointestinal is usually for 3 to 7 days. The reservoir for anthrax is soil, infected animals such as sheep’s, goat’s horses, and pigs. The mode of transmission for anthrax is when humans handle or consume products from infected animals, from being bitten by flies who have fed or infected animals, by inhaling anthrax spores or through cuts and abrasions that become infected with contaminated soil. The symptoms of anthrax are high fever, chills, or night sweats. Flu-like symptoms and sore throat followed by difficulty in swallowing, enlarged