Anthrax comes in three forms

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By Dr. John Koch

Question: There has been some concern expressed in the media about biological terrorism. One the organisms mentioned is anthrax. When I was studying animal husbandry in college, I remember this was briefly mentioned as a disease of cattle. What is the relationship between anthrax in animals and in people?

Answer: Anthrax is primarily a disease of herbivorous animals (cattle and sheep are the most susceptible) and is found in underdeveloped countries around the world. When humans have been infected, it has been due to accidental exposure during routine handling of infected animals or their products. To the best of my knowledge it has not been seen in the domestic livestock of the United States in decades.

In animals, the organism attacks very rapidly producing death within hours to a day after the appearance of symptoms. Symptoms may include depression, weakness, bloody discharges from body orifices and difficulty breathing.

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease, which means that it can be spread from animals to humans. There are three forms of the disease found in humans: cutaneous, inhalation and intestinal.

The cutaneous form occurs when human skin comes into contact with the infected animal tissues or infected soil. Anthrax spores may live in the soil for many years. Cutaneous anthrax, when treated, is rarely fatal. Animals have not shown this form of the disease.

The inhalation form of anthrax comes from breathing the organism. The initial symptoms resemble a cold. After several days symptoms progress into pneumonia and shock. This form of the disease is usually fatal.

The intestinal form of the disease is produced when infected meat is ingested. Symptoms include nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Intestinal anthrax is fatal in 25 to 60 percent of the cases.

Dr. Koch is a Cape Girardeau area veterinarian.