Anthrax

One week after the devastating terror attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001, then U.S. Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle received an innocuous letter from Franklin Park, NJ. The letter appeared to have been sent from the 4th grade class of Greendale School. Senators and representatives in the United States are used to receiving letters like this.

Children learning civics in school, are encouraged to write to their representatives, to take part in the great process that is American Democracy.

Only in this case, there was no attempt at education, no exercise democracy. There was no fourth grade class, no Greendale school. Instead, 2 postal workers were killed and white powder was discovered in the envelope, under a microscope, that powder was shown to be spores, tiny little bacteria in their dormant state, waiting to wake up again. That day, the U.S. had suffered from one of the first Bio terror attacks of the 21st century.

From Occupational Risk to Bioweapon 

Those spores were Anthrax. Now, Bioterror isn’t new and neither is Anthrax. The bacteria that causes it “Bacillus Anthracis" actually lives within goats, cattle and sheep and the disease had been known as ‘Wool-sorters disease’ for centuries. 

Anthrax can take different forms based on what part of the body is being infected. In most cases, amongst agricultural and cattle workers, “cutaneous anthrax” , is contracted when bacteria spores enter the body through a cut or scrape. 

The spores can also be inhaled into the human respiratory tract (the goal of the bioterrorist) — this pulmonary method of infection is most common among those who process wool and animal hides. Those with pulmonary anthrax are at risk of respiratory collapse and suffer the highest mortality rate of any anthrax victims, with 92 percent of cases resulting in death.

The third form of the disease, gastrointestinal anthrax, can occur when a person consumes the meat of an anthrax-infected animal. This is the rarest form of anthrax, but it can kill just like the other types. According to the CDC, 20-60% of such cases are fatal. 

Treatment

The treatment of anthrax follows the same basic pattern as the treatment for any bacterial infection. Ciprofloxacin and Doxycycline are two common antibiotics that can kill the bug. You just have to catch it early. 

Cutaneous anthrax is often caught in an early stage because of its telltale signs. It begins as a raised itchy bump that resembles an insect bite. 1 to 2 days later, the bump develops into a painless swelling or ulcer with a characteristic black area in the center. The lymph glands in nearby area can swell as well.

However, inhalation anthrax may be mistaken for other common illnesses and therefore, is often not diagnosed until severe symptoms appear. Unfortunately, by that time, the antibiotics won’t work. 

An anthrax vaccine has been available since the 1970s and is used primarily for military troops deployed in "high risk" areas. Military personnel (due to exposure as a biological warfare weapon), laboratory workers, livestock handlers, vets, people who work with animal hides or furs and people who handle potentially infected animal products should all be vaccinated. For the rest of us though.. a vaccination is not really worth it.

In the News

Anthrax has been in the news recently because workers AT the CDC were exposed to the bacteria in the course of their research. A lot of research happens around this disease to develop better therapies and more effective vaccines. The CDC says that the workers were exposed because “Established safety procedure were not followed”. So far none of the workers have shown any symptoms and all are getting the appropriate therapy.