Pathogen

• Bacillus anthracis

Clinical

Gastrointestinal: ingestion of contaminated meat

• Incubation: hours or up to 7 days

• Fever, acute gastroenteritis, vomiting blood, blood diarrhoea

• Mortality:

Cutaneous

• Most common form (95% of human cases)

• Eschar

• Death: 20% (untreated); rare if treated

Inhalational

• Inhaltion of spores

• Mortality rate almost 100% despite treatment

Treatment

• Penicillin, ciprofloxacin or doxycycline

• Start early

Prevention

• Vaccination of animal herds (not for humans)

• Proper disposal of carcases

• Yasuda / Parry sensei lecture

Map of anthrax epidemics