Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, an endospore forming gram-positive rod. The spore allows the anthrax bacterium to remain in a dormant state for years protected against the environment and to become reactivated when transferred to a favorable growth medium, such as a human or animal. Toxins are produced when the spore is in a favorable environment. The toxins from anthrax bacteria are responsible for the illness and death associated anthrax. The toxin has three components named the edema factor, the protective antigen and the lethal factor.
             The disease is also known as Woolsorters' disease, ragpickers' disease and charbon. It is primarily found in hoofed animals with hides, such as goats and cattle. The disease is spread to man by contact with infected animal hide or meat on open wounds or internal membranes. It is not spread from person to person by respiratory means, unlike many viruses. Anthrax is found worldwide, although many Western countries have nearly eliminated the disease by vaccinating animals against the disease.
             Three forms of the disease exist in man. The coetaneous (skin) form is the most common among workers contacting infected animals with entry through cuts or scrapes in the skin. These groups of people also were the subjects for testing the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in humans because of their high-risk occupation. The primary symptom is a deep, black, slow-healing, painless ulcer. With treatment with antibiotics or the anthrax vaccine is prompt, survival rates are excellent. Untreated coetaneous anthrax has a 15-20% fatality rate.
             The intestinal (stomach) form is caused by eating undercooked meat from infected animals and is more common in underdeveloped countries. Symptoms include nausea, bloody vomiting and diarrhea. Estimates of untreated fatality rates range from 25-90%. Fatality rates with treatment may still reach 20%.
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