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What exactly is anthrax, and should you be concerned about it? Anthrax is an infection caused by a bacterium (a type of germ) called Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis). Although it's most commonly seen in grazing animals like sheep, pigs, cattle, horses, and goats, anthrax can also occur in humans - although it's very rare.In the environment, the anthrax-causing bacterium forms spores (a version of the germ covered by a hard protective shell) that can live in the soil for years. People can become infected by coming into contact with these spores through a break in the skin (such as a cut or scrape), by eating food (usually undercooked meat) contaminated by them, or by inhaling spores (breathing them into the lungs). But anthrax is not contagious, which means that it can't spread from person to person. It's extremely unlikely that you or someone you know could get anthrax. In fact, there are usually only one or two reported cases of anthrax per year. Most of these have been in people who work with animals or animal products. Why Are People So Concerned About Anthrax? Anthrax that occurs naturally in the environment isn't a huge threat. But B. anthracis can be grown in a laboratory and some people are worried about anthrax germs being grown as a weapon. The issue of laboratory-grown anthrax received lots of attention in 2001 after an anthrax outbreak in the United States. The outbreak scared a lot of people, in part because five people died (which is very rare) and also because the outbreak corresponded with the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, bioterrorism experts believe that it is technologically difficult to use anthrax effectively as a weapon on a large scale. What Are the Signs of Anthrax?
It usually takes fewer than 7 days for a person to show signs of anthrax infection. And symptoms of pulmonary anthrax can sometimes take months to appear. How Difficult Is It to Get Anthrax? It's very difficult to get anthrax. Just being exposed to the spores or coming into contact with an infected animal doesn't mean that a person will automatically develop the disease. For example, to get pulmonary anthrax (the type of anthrax that killed the five people in the 2001 outbreak), a person has to inhale thousands of spores. This is extremely difficult to do when the anthrax spores are found in soil or on infected animals. Even in the case of the man-made outbreak in 2001, several of the people who were exposed were found to have B. anthracis spores only in their nostrils when tested. These spores hadn't made it to their lungs in sufficient amounts to cause a problem. In other words, the people had been exposed to the bacteria but had not developed the disease. How Is Anthrax Diagnosed and Treated? Medical professionals can diagnose anthrax by taking samples from the skin sores or blood of people who are believed to have been exposed to B. anthracis. These samples are then sent to a lab to check whether the person has the bacteria in his or her system. If anthrax is caught early, it is almost always successfully treated with antibiotics. Although there is a vaccine for anthrax, in the United States it is currently only recommended for people who are at risk of coming into contact with B. anthracis. They include people who work with B. anthracis in laboratories, people who handle potentially infected animal products, and U.S. military personnel. The vaccine is not given routinely to people in the United States and it hasn't been studied for use in people younger than 18. If you worry when you hear about anthrax, remember that it's very rare, and it's unlikely that you will ever be exposed to the germs that cause anthrax. If you're worried about it, talk to a science teacher or medical professional - someone who can help you find the answers to any questions you may have about anthrax. You can also learn more from the organizations listed in the Resources tab at the right of this article. Updated and reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph,
MD
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