Preview

Anthrax Essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1008 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Anthrax Essay
Anthrax Essay
Anthrax

Anthrax[1] is an acute infectious disease that came into the limelight recently due to the Anthrax Attacks in the United States in the weeks following the September 2001 terror attacks, causing widespread panic. This report on Anthrax includes information on how the disease is caused, types of Anthrax, symptoms of the disease and its treatment. It also includes information on the 2001 Anthrax attacks in the US and why anthrax is a good bioterrorism agent.
How is Anthrax Caused? Anthrax is caused by the bacterium[2] ‘Bacillus anthracis’ that is highly lethal in its virulent form. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic animals, but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals, tissue from infected animals, or high concentrations of anthrax spores.[3]
Bacillus Anthracis Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium which causes anthrax, is rod-shaped and about 1 by 6 micrometres in size. It was the first bacterium ever to be shown to cause disease by Robert Koch[4] in 1877. The bacteria normally rest in spore form in the soil, and can survive for decades in this state. When ingested by a plant eating animal, the bacteria starts to multiply and eventually kills the animal. They even continue to reproduce in the carcass but eventually revert back to the dormant spore state when they run out of nutrients. (“Bacillus anthracis.”)
Types of Anthrax and Ways in Which it can Infect Humans There are three types of anthrax, classified according to how it enters the human body: 1. through the intestines (gastrointestinal) 2. through the lungs (inhalation), or 3. through the skin (cutaneous).[5]
Inhalation Type. The anthrax infection caused by inhalation through the lungs initially causes cold or flu-like symptoms, followed by severe respiratory problems. It is the most deadly form of the disease with almost 100% mortality rate if treatment is not started before the onset of symptoms. A



Cited: “2001 anthrax attacks.” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2005. May 1, 2005. “Anthrax as a Biological Weapon, 2002.” Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Vol. 287 No. 17, May 1, 2002. May 1, 2005. “Anthrax: What You Need To Know.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention “Bacillus anthracis.” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2005. May 1, 2005.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The anthrax may have infected and killed the postal workers because it was continuously handled by many workers. The envelopes were squeezed through the mail sorting machines which made the anthrax pores start to leak through the letters of the pores.…

    • 2022 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book is primarily an account of the Smallpox Eradication Program (1967–80), the ongoing perception by the U.S. government that smallpox is still a potential bioterrorism agent, and the controversy over whether or not the remaining samples of smallpox virus in Atlanta and Moscow (the “demon” in the freezer) should be finally destroyed. However, the writer was overtaken by events — the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax letter incidents (called "Amerithrax"), both in 2001 — and so much of the book interweaves the anthrax investigation with the smallpox material in an awkward [1] and somewhat disjointed [2][3] manner.…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5. Which is the worst of the filovirus “sisters”? What is the kill rate in humans?…

    • 643 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Viruses: This is a disease producing agents which are far smaller than bacteria. They are enclosed in a protein coating which makes them more difficult to destroy. These replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. They can infect all types of life forms i.e. plants, animals, and bacteria. The most common virus is the flu, it’s a contagious infection (it…

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anthrax Informative Speech

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Anthrax can occur naturally as spores on animal hides and can be treated with antibiotics, but a weaponized strain may be immune to the medicines and it becomes much deadlier. The main types of infection are inhalation, gastrointestinal (eating the spores on food), wound, and the newest type found injection. Inhalation is the deadliest and most common, symptoms can mimic that of a cold with fever and chills, shortness of breath, a cough, nausea/ vomiting, a headache, and tiredness. With ingestion, the symptoms are the same with swelling of the neck, sore throat, painful swallowing, flushing (also called red face), and bloody vomiting. Finally injection and wound anthrax symptoms include, small blisters around the injection/ wound area, after that a painless skin sore appears around the same area with swelling (“Anthrax”). The reason why Anthrax kills is because it can cause pneumonia and blood infection. Pneumonia occurs when the lungs air sacs fill with fluid and restrict oxygen flow. Anthrax exists as inactive spores that live in the soil and animal hides. Once these spores come into the lungs the bacteria can grow and cause an infection(“Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis)”). Weaponized anthrax has been used in the USA as recently as 2001. A single strain of anthrax was put in letters and sent to government officials in response to the 911 attacks. 22 people were infected…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Bacillus cereus, a commonly occurring pathogen which can survive in remarkably hostile conditions, is typically found in soil. B. cereus has been recognized as an agent of food poisoning since 1955. The natural environmental reservoir for B. cereus consists of decaying organic matter, fresh and marine waters, vegetables and fomites, and the intestinal tract of invertebrates, from which soil and food products may become contaminated, leading to the transient colonization of the human intestine. Illness associated with B. cereus can occur when heat-resistant B. cereus endospores survive cooking. If the food is then inadequately refrigerated or held for extended periods at improper temperatures the endospores can germinate and multiply. Once the spores germinate, the vegetative cells can multiply and produce illness causing enterotoxins. Bacillus cereus is known to cause two distinctly different types of food-borne illness. The first type of illness, referred to as the Rapid-onset (Emetic) Vomiting-type, is characterized by nausea and vomiting. The incubation period ranges from 1 to 6 hours. Both the symptomology and incubation period mirror those of Staphylococcus aureus. The second type of illness, generally referred to as the Slow-onset Diarrheal-type, is characterized by diarrhea and…

    • 2885 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Review news coverage, and newspaper ads that confirm the pivotal role that the CDC had in responding to the anthrax…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Demon in the Freezer

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston is an intriguing book that discusses the anthrax terrorist attacks after 9/11 and how smallpox might become a future bioterrorist threat to the world. The book provides a brief history of the smallpox disease including details of an outbreak in Germany in 1970. The disease was eradicated in 1979 due to the World Health Organization’s aggressive vaccine program. After the virus was no longer a treat the World Health Organization discontinued recommending the smallpox vaccination. In conjunction, inventory of the vaccine was decreased to save money. The virus was locked up in two labs, one in the United States and one in Russia. However, some feel the smallpox virus exists elsewhere. Dr. Peter Jahrling and a team of scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland became concerned terrorists had access to the smallpox virus and planed to alter the strain to become more resistant. These doctors conducted smallpox experiments to discover more effective vaccines in case the virus were released. Preparedness for a major epidemic is discussed as well as the ease with which smallpox can be bioengineered.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Bioterrorism remains a major threat for the United States despite more than $65 billion spent on protecting the country from myriad dangers, the Bipartisan WMD Terrorism Research Center said in its latest report Wednesday. The center's Bio-Response Report Card evaluated U.S. preparedness for countering threats from bioterrorism and found the country remains vulnerable to multiple threats and "largely unprepared for a large-scale bioterrorist attack."”(UPI.com, 2011). There have been over a dozen leading U.S. bio-defense experts that have taken part in figuring out where we are exactly as a county and what the effects of a terroristic attack would be if it were to happen today. Through their investigation they are looking into what more can and needs to be done to deal with bioterrorism, so in turn their focus turned to what took about in the overall defense strategies after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Anthrax used to kill millions of sheep and cows in france and undoubtedly more in the rest of the world. It was a huge economic drain for herdsman and could be dangerous to humans as well.…

    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This Paper is a study on biological weapons. It will touch on how and why they are manufactured. There is an emphasis on smallpox and whether it could be used as a weapon of mass destruction by terrorist in the near future. A brief history on smallpox and how it was previously used as a biological weapon will be detailed, along with facts from the World Health Organization (WHO). This paper will examine the necessity for a vaccination against the smallpox disease. It will state the facts about smallpox and how it can become a menace to society and cause affect as many as a nation and go undetected until it is too late.…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    New York Times Bestseller Novel Survival of The Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem focuses on the idea that certain illness which we have inherited today, may have been the key to survival in past. Dr. Sharon Moalem a neurologist and an evolutionary biologist gives various examples on different traits and illness such as Hemochromatosis and the process of aging as a tool which allowed our ancestors to survive and successful further the generation.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bubonic Plague Essay

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the past, bubonic destroyed entire civilizations. The plague can be found in the fleas that feed on them. The bacteria that cause plague, Yersinia Pestis, can cause several types of serious of potentially fatal illnesses: Bubonic plague, which has symptoms that include swollen lymph node, pneumonic plague, which involves the infection spreading to the lungs; and Septicemic Plague, which may involve skin and other tissues turning black and dying. The Pentagon’s most secure laboratories may have mislabeled, improperly stored and shipped samples of potentially infectious plague bacteria, which can cause several forms of diseases, USA Today has learned. In addition to the plague samples and some additional anthrax specimens, the CDC has raised…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The family of anthracycline drugs originated in the 1950’s with the identification of daunorubicin from the soil bacterium Streptomyces peucetius . In the 1960’s, daunorubicin was found to be quite effective in treating leukemias and lymphomas. Also in the 1960’s, a derivative of daunorubicin, 14-hydroxydaunomycin or Adriamycin (later to be renamed doxorubicin), was identified and shown to be a more effective antitumor agent. Since these initial investigations of this class of antitumor agents, anthracycline chemotherapeutic agents have been employed in the treatment of a wide variety of solid organ tumors and hematologic malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, multiple myeloma and sarcoma.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    essay bomb blast

    • 345 Words
    • 1 Page

    While coming in the parking area of the mall, I suddenly heard dogs barking, I came out of the car hearing the horrible noises getting louder and louder, what could it be? I sensed danger but I ignored and carried on. That was maybe the biggest mistake of my life. I should have gotten out of the mall immediately, unfortunately I didn’t.…

    • 345 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays

Related Topics