Question: What is anthrax?

Bethany Dearlove answered on 17 Jun 2014:

Anthrax is the name of the disease caused by a bacteria called Bacillus anthracis. It’s most well-known for its use in bioterror attacks in 2001, where it was mailed through the post, but it’s actually really rare in people – aside from the 2001 cases, only 18 cases of anthrax inhalation have been reported in the USA in the last 100 years.

Anthrax produces spores (an inactive form of the bacteria), which can survive for many years. These spores can be found naturally in soil, and anthrax often affects domestic and wild animals around the world when they come into contact with them. In both humans and animals, the disease isn’t contagious, but can be very severe depending on how the disease was taken in to the body. If caught early, however, anthrax in humans can be treated with antibiotics. You might find this factsheet useful if you want to find out more: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/anthrax/id379106.pdf