Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions of Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, central and southwestern Asia, southern and eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. Anthrax is rare in the United States, but sporadic outbreaks do occur in wild and domestic grazing animals such as cattle or deer. Anthrax is more common in developing countries and countries that do not have veterinary public health programs that routinely vaccinate animals against anthrax.
In the United States, yearly vaccination of livestock is recommended in areas where animals have had anthrax in the past. The document is available for download in multiple languages below.
Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. What is Anthrax? Last Updated. NEW YORK AP --Like detectives getting to the whodunit part of a murder mystery, scientists have identified the shape and features of the third protein that allows anthrax to do its deadly work. While scientists have long known of the existence of the three proteins -collectively known as anthrax toxins -only two had been mapped until now.
One protein allows the anthrax bacteria to enter cells, while a second destroys immune system cells that normally defend the body. Now, researchers at the University of Chicago and the Boston Biomedical Research Institute have mapped the 3-D structure of the third protein, called edema factor, which causes swelling and fluid buildup in the body by triggering an adrenaline overload.
The discovery offers another potential target for scientists trying to develop new drug treatments. That, in turn, could speed the development of defenses against bioterrorism. Anthrax is one of the most likely agents to be used because:. Anthrax has been used as a weapon around the world for nearly a century. In , powdered anthrax spores were deliberately put into letters that were mailed through the U.
Twenty-two people, including 12 mail handlers, got anthrax, and five of these 22 people died. An anthrax attack could take many forms. For example, it could be placed in letters and mailed, as was done in , or it could be put into food or water. Anthrax also could be released into the air from a truck, building, or plane. It only takes a small amount of anthrax to infect a large number of people.
If anthrax spores were released into the air, people could breathe them in and get sick with anthrax. Inhalation anthrax is the most serious form and can kill quickly if not treated immediately.
If the attack were not detected by one of the monitoring systems in place in the United States, it might go unnoticed until doctors begin to see unusual patterns of illness among sick people showing up at emergency rooms. A subset of select agents and toxins have been designated as Tier 1 because these biological agents and toxins present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effect to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety.
Bacillus anthracis is a Tier 1 agent.
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