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Hi, although I am not an MD, I am a veterinarian and Anthrax is a disease that we learned about in vet. school b/c it has been mainly a cattle dz in the past though it is zoonotic (can be transmitted to humans) and also can infect other animals.
I don't have any of the answers about the vaccine at this time (maybe in some of my large animal vet. school stuff but I have filed this stuff away as i treat cats, dogs mainly). I know that veterinarians that work on cattle usually do not get vaccinated except if there is an outbreak-which has not happened for many years.
Anyways, Bacillus Anthracis is a gram positive bacteria. They are aerobic (need air to live), spore forming (some are facultative anaerobic). "Anthrax organisms sporulate with greater frequency in low lying marshy areas (Florida?-isn't this where the guys were?). Apparently vegetative forms grow poorly if at all in the soil. Soma regions of the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys harbor spores and flooding disseminates them."-source from 1991 edition of Veterinary bacteriology and mycology.
more medical jargen:
pathogenesis (from same source):
"The anthrax toxin is a complex consisting of three protein components, I, II and III. Components I is the edema factor, Component II the protective antigen, and component III is the lethal factor. Components I and II cause edema with low mortality (death); however, when component III is included, there is maximum lethality. Only encapsulated, toxigenic strains are virulent."
The public health significance of the book says:
" Infections most often result from spores entering injuries to the skin. Cutaneous (skin form) anthrax (malignant pustule) accounts for more than 95% of the human disease (other 5% probably pulmonary-lungs). Some sources of spores for humans are soil, hair, hides, wool, feces (crap), milk, meat (inadequately cooked meat) and blood products. The skin lesion is usually solitary, painless, seropurulent (meaning you see some pus and serum) necrotizing (skin is becoming nasty and is dying), hemorrhagic, and ulcerous. It leaves a black eschar (black scab) which accounts for the name malignant pustule. The disease is seen most frequently in farmers, herdsman, butchers, veterinarians, and tannery and slaughterhouse workers (were these guys at a slaughterhouse-forgive me as i have not kept up with the news this weekend as I was out of town)
Treatment in humans is effective in the cutaneous infection but not usually the pulmonary form."
The organism can be transmitted by ingestion, inhalation (I think this is the most deadly way), wounds, scratches, and through the unbroken skin.
I know that this probably did not answer a lot of questions but at least you will know some info about the organism. I know everyone is scared (as am I) but please don't panic, this disease has been around for hundreds of years and I guess i heard from someone that there has not been an outbreak in humans in 25 years in the US (is this true?) but outbreaks due occur and I think the reason we are hearing so much about the recent cases is of course b/c of our current status. I definitely think the public should know as much info. as possible though. Though I am more afraid of Ebola virus.
K
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