America's attention has been focused on anthrax breakouts in recent days, and though a connection between the incidents and last month's terrorist attacks has not been established, many are wondering if a biological attack could be in store. Amidst the alert, understanding what exactly anthrax is and whether the worry is appropriate has fallen by the wayside.
Though rare, anthrax is a naturally occurring bacterium whose spores are frequently found in the soil in places of squalor, such as livestock ranches. Actual anthrax infections are even rarer, and have been more common in animals than humans. Still, humans can be infected through eating infected meats, inhaling anthrax spores, or - as has been the case in recent weeks - by direct contact with bacterium through breaks in the skin.
Eating anthrax-infected meat causes inflammation in the victim's intestinal tract. Symptoms of intestinal anthrax infection include nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea. Although anthrax can be contracted this way, infected animal meat in the US is extremely rare.
The most common way anthrax infects people is through contact with cuts in the skin. The recent victims were infected with anthrax spores by touching contaminated mail.
In these cases, anthrax results in a small bump, similar to an insect bite. After a couple of days, the bump becomes a black-centered cyst that later dries up to leave a black scab. Although the scab falls off after a week or two, it is still necessary to treat the infection with antibiotics. Ninety-five percent of anthrax cases occur in this manner.
Skin-infection anthrax is not as severe as cases in which the disease is contracted through the lungs. In such instances, the bacteria travel through the air as a very fine mist and cause the victim to exhibit flu-like symptoms. After several days of coughing, fever, and aches, the victim's lungs fill with fluid, resulting in suffocation.
In order for anthrax to be effective in this manner, it must travel as very small particles which according to the Center for Disease for Control (CDC) is "difficult to do, requiring a great deal of technical skill and special equipment."
Regardless of how anthrax is contracted, the disease is not contagious, so an infected person does not need to be quarantined. Unless anthrax is inhaled, death rarely occurs, and early treatments with antibiotics such as Cipro, penicillin, and tetracycline are effective in curing the patient.
"Do Not Panic"
In light of growing concern, the CDC has advised all Americans to remain calm but to stay on alert. And to determine the cause of the recent exposures, it is conducting investigations with local authorities around the country. A continuously operating center uses state-of-the-art equipment to analyze specimens and responds to calls each day from the public.Although anthrax vaccines exist, they are only available to military personnel because of limited supply and production capability. Fearing a spread of anthrax and worried about the lack of a public vaccine, many Americans are stocking up on antibiotics.
But physicians do not recommend taking antibiotics as a preventative measure. When used inappropriately, they say, the body can develop a resistance to them. As a result, the antibiotics might not be effective if they are needed to treat a larger outbreak in the future.
"The worst thing you can do is contribute to these organisms becoming resistant," warned US Surgeon General David Satcher in an Oct. 11 Boston Globe interview. Since the CDC has plenty of antibiotics and plans to distribute them in the event of an outbreak, Satcher said, Americans should not stock up on them.
Still, Americans should be aware of the possibility of infection. If someone who hasn't had the flu in years suddenly comes down with symptoms, it would not be inappropriate to call a physician to ask if there is cause for concern, Satcher said.
