anthrax
Sign in to saveAnthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis or Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one day and two months after the infection is contracted. The skin form presents with a small blister with surrounding swelling that often turns into a painless ulcer with a black center. The inhalation form presents with fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The intestinal form presents with diarrhea (which may contain blood), abdominal pains, nausea, and vomiting.
AI overview
Anthrax is a serious bacterial infection that can enter the body through the skin, lungs, or digestive system, with symptoms appearing anywhere from one day to two months later. It matters because depending on how it infects you, it can cause anything from skin ulcers to life-threatening breathing problems or severe intestinal illness.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Anthrax
- Medical condition (new).image
- Anthrax PHIL 2033.png
- Medical condition (new).caption
- A skin lesion with black eschar characteristic of anthrax
- Medical condition (new).field
- Infectious disease
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Skin form: small blister with surrounding swellingInhalational form: fever, chest pain, shortness of breathIntestinal form: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal painInjection form: fever, abscess
- Medical condition (new).onset
- 1 day to 2 months post contact
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Bacillus anthracis
- Medical condition (new).risks
- Working with animals; travelers, postal workers, military personnel
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Based on antibodies or toxin in the blood, microbial culture
- Medical condition (new).prevention
- Anthrax vaccination, antibiotics
Article
38 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Signs and symptoms
- Skin
- Injection
- Lungs
- Gastrointestinal
- Cause
- Bacteria
- Exposure and transmission
- Mechanism
- Diagnosis
- Prevention
- Vaccines
- Antibiotics
- Treatment
- Antibiotics
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Anthrax immune globulin
- Biologic for Drug-, Antibody- or Vaccine-resistant Anthrax
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- Croatia
- United Kingdom
- United States
- History
- Discovery
- First vaccination
- Engineered strains
- Society and culture
- Site cleanup
- Biological warfare
- Sverdlovsk incident (2 April 1979)
- Anthrax bioterrorism
- Decontaminating mail
- Other animals
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis or Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one day and two months after the infection is contracted. The skin form presents with a small blister with surrounding swelling that often turns into a painless ulcer with a black center. The inhalation form presents with fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The intestinal form presents with diarrhea (which may contain blood), abdominal pains, nausea, and vomiting.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first clinical descriptions of cutaneous anthrax were given by Maret in 1752 and Fournier in 1769. Before that, anthrax had been described only in historical accounts. The German scientist Robert Koch was the first to identify Bacillus anthracis as the bacterium that causes anthrax.