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Anthrax, a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, can have devastating effects on animals. It primarily affects herbivores such as cattle, sheep, and goats, but a wide range of mammals, birds, and even humans can also be susceptible.
Anthrax spores are able to be dispersed via multiple methods and infect humans with ease. [4] The symptoms present as a common cold or flu, and may take weeks before appearing. [3] [6] The destructive effects of an anthrax attack on a large city may have the destructive capacity of a nuclear weapon. [4]
In September 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. Of those infected, 11 developed cutaneous anthrax, while 11 developed inhalation anthrax. 20 of the 22 infected worked at a site where contaminated mail was handled or received. [7]
Anthrax toxin is an A-B toxin. Each individual anthrax toxin protein is nontoxic. Toxic symptoms are not observed when these proteins are injected individually into laboratory animals. The co-injection of PA and EF causes edema, and the co-injection of PA and LF is lethal. The former combination is called edema toxin, and the latter combination ...
Pathogens studied included the biological agents causing a myriad of diseases such as anthrax, glanders, brucellosis, melioidosis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Q fever, coccidioidomycosis, and other plant and animal pathogens. [11] The Vietnam War brought public awareness to the U.S. biological weapons program. [22]
Anthrax vaccines are used for both livestock and human immunization. One of the most used anthrax vaccines today is based on the Sterne strain, in the form of a live-spore vaccine for animals. A vaccine with live spores is dangerous for humans, so vaccines based on the secreted toxin protein, protective antigen (PA), have been explored.
Anthrax vaccine adsorbed is classified as a subunit vaccine that is cell-free and containing no whole or live anthrax bacteria. [7] The antigen (immunologically active) portions are produced from culture filtrates of a toxigenic, but avirulent, nonencapsulated mutant — known as V770-NP1-R — of the B. anthracis Vollum strain. [8]
In India from 1974–1986, HS was responsible for the highest mortality rate of infectious diseases in buffaloes and cattle, and was second in its morbidity rate in the same animals. When compared to foot and mouth disease, rinderpest, anthrax and black leg, [28] HS accounted for 58.7% of the deaths due to these five endemic diseases. [28] [29]