Bacillus Anthracis and Biological Warfare Essay

Anthrax is a fatal infection of the skin, respiratory system, or gastroineutinal systems. Affects most animals that are herbivores. The life cycle of anthrax starts with the animal and when the animal dies, the diseases sits on the soil while the other mammals eat the grass from that spot. Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine for his sheep to prevent them from getting anthrax which led other doctors and scientist to acknowledge

Lab Day 1: After receiving my unknown bacteria, I streaked a TSA plate and incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. I then picked a single colony from the plate with my sterile loop and streaked a TSA slant and labeled it “Working Stock”. I did the same with another TSA slant and label the second one “Back-up Stock”. This would be the samples I used to complete the following procedures through the next four weeks to determine my unknown bacteria.

In 2001, the discovery of three letters containing anthrax spores caused widespread panic that swept across the US. Thousands of people flocked to clinics to be tested for possible infection and hundreds were affected by the shutdown of workplaces and public facilities. Though only a

Smallpox is one of the most lethal virus’ known to man. It is devastating to individual systems, and it’s high level of contagion makes it a major threat to populations, as seen historically, before mass vaccination was available. For many years before an understanding about the virus was developed, thousands suffered and died from it, with no relief except perhaps that of a comforting nurse. As scientific inquiry advanced, so did the approach to dealing with the virus, beginning with its primitive inoculation, to it's eradication from the natural environment. In recent years, the study of the virus has lead to harnessing it in the laboratory with the constant threat of biological warfare. The virus now lays dormant in freezers of American

The mortality rates from anthrax vary, depending on exposure, and are approximately 20% for cutaneous anthrax without antibiotics and 25 - 75% for gastrointestinal anthrax; inhalation anthrax has a fatality rate that is 80% or higher and currently around 30% for injection anthrax. As evident in the table all age groups have to possibility of infection, there is a slightly higher infection rate for children under the age of one, possibly because their immune system is less developed and more

A biological attack using anthrax spores would be delivered by aerosols causing pulmonary anthrax. As stated above, the incubation period is from 2-5 days and the shown symptoms would be very similar to a cold. The victim would demonstrate a non-productive cough and mild chest discomfort. Initially, the symptoms would be mild but after several days they would escalate dramatically. These symptoms would include an edema of the chest wall, pleural effusions and cyanosis. An edema of the chest wall is dangerous because the swelling can burst the pleural effusions and can cause secondary drowning. Cyanosis is when blood without oxygen (deoxyhemoglobin) gathers in the extremities and blood with oxygen focuses on supporting the major organs. Although the symptoms of pulmonary anthrax

Plague is caused by the bacterium bacillus Yersinia pestis, and is carried by rodents, fleas, and mammals. Plague takes three forms: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Bubonic plague affects the lymph glands, while the pneumonic and septicemic forms affect the lungs and the blood. Today, plague can be prevented by antibiotics and strict public health measures. Three methods of controlling carriers involve sanitizing the environment, educating the public on how to prevent exposure, and using prophylactic antibiotics.

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

there are somany what if's possibilities that could've happened while shipping it. Plane could've crashed and blew up with live anthrax being every where the plane crashed and whoever is the town the plane crashed in will be affected by it.

People will do almost anything to win or achieve their goals and that is sometimes a good thing. However, there have been instances where people have taken the idea to the extreme. So extreme that it was even banned at the end of World War 1 at the Geneva Convention. The topic is Biological Warfare. This type of warfare uses toxins or contagious agents instead of using guns and explosives. Toxins and agents such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. All of them are different things and have different effects but all have the same goal, and that is to disable or kill humans, animals, and plants to win the war. This warfare is cruel and inhumane and should never be used by anyone. If anyone did they should be punished severely. Why shouldn’t we use this? Well one example is World War 1.

The most commonly used disease used as a weapon is Anthrax. Anthrax is a deadly disease that infects your skin and internal body organs. Anthrax can be caused by contact, inhalation and injection. Symptoms that are caused are skin blisters, fever, chest pain, shortage of breath, nausea and vomiting. 95% of cases are skin infections. Depending on the form of infection death can be as high as an 80% chance. Most common causes of infection are when animals eat infected plants and humans eat the infected animals . The deadliest bio weapon is Smallpox. Smallpox is an mass killing infection that has crazy symptoms and a high death rate. Symptoms include bumps all over the skin with a thick and opaque fluid often with a depression or dimple in the

Most common regions where Anthrax is a high risk is in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southwestern Asia, and Southern and Eastern Europe; rarely in the U.S (CDC, 2015). These are places where animals are not getting vaccinated regularly (CDC, 2015). Humans that are more vulnerable are those who come in contact with livestock or by-products contaminated with anthrax spores. For example; people that work in slaughterhouses, tanners, veterinarians, and farmers (Victoria's, Department of Health, 2014). Early 19th-century Anthrax would occur at an estimated rate of 130 cases annually, that number declined between 2000. 2002. 2001 was the most recent Anthrax outbreak (CDC, 2009). After September 11, 22 cases were identified due to the mailroom bioterror attack (Victoria's, Department of Health,

The Center of Disease Control and Prevention has an emergency awareness and response page based off of a zombie apocalypse to help inform people on how they should be ready if a major emergency were to occur. The CDC has a range of research and information from heart disease to the worst, infectious, disease-causing agents. The CDC also shares information about how to prepare and what to do if a bioterrorism attack or pandemic were to occur. The Center of Disease and Control is a diversified government organization that has the main purpose of protecting the public against the serious threats of bioterrorism and dangerous pandemics.

The incubation period of anthrax is typically 1-6 days. Taking into account that the first case was reported on November 4th, the FBI made the assumption that the outbreak most likely occurred within the previous 3 days. With this in mind, they asked all the patients where they had been and what they were doing from November 1st through November 3rd. With this information they were able to make a shocking connection. It was discovered that all individuals who were exposed to the air bourn spores were in or around one of the following places on November 2, 2016 from 7AM- 2:30PM: First Watch- Keystone, 3309 E 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240, Lincoln Square Pancake House, 2330 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46208, and Hotcakes Emporium Pancake House & Restaurant, 6845 Bluff Rd, Indianapolis, IN

Even though this problem is rapidly growing, some of mankind are saying there is slim chances of the world losing their hearing because of this. Sure, it is a slow process but antibiotics are known as societal drugs, because of the resistant passes from bacteria to bacteria and person-to-person. (APUA, 2014). Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) have an article on urgent threats with bacteria. One listed is, Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae, or pneumococcus). “This is a major cause of bloodstream infections and ear and sinus infections.” According to the article, there are one million, two hundred thousand drug resistant infections a year. Nineteen thousand of these cases are hospitalized, and seven thousand cases led to death. The problem needs vast research and medical attention. CDC says ninety six million dollars was spent on medical costs connected to Streptococcus pneumonia. (CDC, 2016). On APUA’s website, an interesting fact shown is, “the 1995 US Office of Technology Assessment report attributed a cost of one point three billion dollars (1992 dollars) per year for antibiotic-resistant infections due to six species of bacteria in US hospitals”. (APUA, 2014) Along with this fact, their audience is shown the costs of the research for the solutions for resistances. Companies like the US Office of Technology Assessment are spending billions of dollars a year on solutions that are not there. This is where the end to all antibiotics takes effect and