Health and You

Archive for November, 2009

Introduction

Anthrax is basically a bacterial disease. The causative organism for this disease is Bacillus anthracis. The disease can occur both in human beings and in animals. Anthrax is usually a deadly disease and exists in many forms. Bacillus anthracis is capable of producing dormant spores which has the ability to survive in extreme conditions for prolonged period of time. These spores when ingested into the body inhaled or make contact with a lesion on skin on a host they get reactivated and undergo fast multiplication. The spores can also be formed in vitro and employed as a biological weapon.

As part of their occupational activity when individuals come in contact with the animals or animal products that are infected the bacterial disease spreads. People who are exposed to dead animals and their products at work have maximum chances of acquiring the disease. The body’s defense mechanism can resist the low level exposures to the anthrax spores. However the disease occurs when large spore levels are exposed to the body.

What are the forms of the disease?

The disease has many modes of infection. Some of the forms are discussed in this article.

Inhalational anthrax is one of the forms of this bacterial disease. This form is otherwise known as ragpickers’ disease or woolsorter’s disease owing to the professional exposure. Anthrax capable of widening in the mediastinum can reach the body through ingestion or inhalation. The inhalation causes the spores to enter the lungs and presents various clinical symptoms. This form of anthrax when not treated properly could lead to death in the person.

Pulmonary anthrax is a form that occurs in the respiratory system. The obvious cause of this disease is inhalation of spores of the bacterium. This initially induces symptoms of flu or common cold.  Another form of the disease is the gastrointestinal anthrax. This occurs mostly by consuming meat infected by anthrax. This produces severe gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, blood vomiting. The disease is characterized by loss of appetite and intestinal tract inflammation. The bacteria after affecting the bowel system spread to all body parts via the bloodstream. The mortality rate of the disease ranges from 25 to 65%.

The anthrax disease affecting the skin is called cutaneous anthrax. The infection of anthrax in human being exhibits skin lesion which resembles boils. This finally leads to the formation of an ulcer having a black center. These infections arise at the location where the spore penetrates 2 to 5 days after the exposure.

Treatment

By giving large doses of oral and intravenous antibiotics like fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, doxycycline and penicillin the anthrax could be effectively treated. Antibiotic prophylaxis is the treatment procedure for inhalation anthrax. This treatment procedure if given at the earliest to the patient could avoid the death.

image credit to medindia site

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For more information, please browse through the Medifast Blog.