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Review
. 2011 Dec;1(6):496-501.
doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60109-3.

Anthrax: an update

S M Kamal  1 , A K M M Rashid, M A Bakar, M A Ahad
Affiliations
Review

Anthrax: an update

S M Kamal et al. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. It is potentially fatal and highly contagious disease. Herbivores are the natural host. Human acquire the disease incidentally by contact with infected animal or animal products. In the 18th century an epidemic destroyed approximately half of the sheep in Europe. In 1900 human inhalational anthrax occured sporadically in the United States. In 1979 an outbreak of human anthrax occured in Sverdlovsk of Soviet Union. Anthrax continued to represent a world wide presence. The incidence of the disease has decreased in developed countries as a result of vaccination and improved industrial hygiene. Human anthrax clinically presents in three forms, i.e. cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalational. About 95% of human anthrax is cutaneous and 5% is inhalational. Gastrointestinal anthrax is very rare (less than 1%). Inhalational form is used as a biological warefare agent. Penicillin, ciprofloxacin (and other quinolones), doxicyclin, ampicillin, imipenem, clindamycin, clarithromycin, vancomycin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin are effective antimicrobials. Antimicrobial therapy for 60 days is recommended. Human anthrax vaccine is available. Administration of anti-protective antigen (PA) antibody in combination with ciprofloxacin produced 90%-100% survival. The combination of CPG-adjuvanted anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) plus dalbavancin significantly improved survival.

Keywords: Anthrax; Bacillus anthracis; Contagious disease; Cutaneous anthrax; Gastrointestinal anthrax; Human anthrax; Inhalational anthrax; Zoonotic disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Characteristics of B. anthracis. Gram stain (1 500×).
The cells have characteristic squared ends. The endospores are ellipsoidal shaped and located centrally in the sporangium. The spores are highly refractile to light and resistant to staining.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. The black eschar present in the cutaneous anthrax.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Widening of the mediastinum due to enlarged lymphnodes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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