Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can occur in three different forms; skin, inhalation and intestinal. It is spread by contact with the bacteria spores, which are from infectious animal products. Usually contact occurs through breathing, eating or cut and does not spread between people.
Cutaneous Anthrax
Cutaneous anthrax occurs when anthrax is absorbed through the skin. It enters the cut and symptoms will show between two and five days after infection. During this time, anthrax will develop like a boil-like lesion that will have a necrotic center. The boil is usually painless or itchy. Cutaneous anthrax occurs when humans handle infected animals and animal bi-products. There is an anthrax vaccination
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The symptoms of GI anthrax are vomiting of blood, diarrhea, and loss of appetite and inflammation of the intestinal tract. Additionally, lesions can be found in the mouth, intestinal and throat. Once the anthrax bacteria enter the body through the GI tract, it will spread through the bloodstream and continue to make toxins.
Inhalation Anthrax
Inhalation anthrax occurs when people breathe in the spores of the bacteria. It is usually presented as cold-like symptoms and then pneumonia very quickly. It is very difficult to distinguish pulmonary anthrax from other respiratory illness, as the symptoms are very common.
Use in a military setting
A biological attack using anthrax spores would be delivered by aerosols causing pulmonary anthrax. As stated above, the incubation period is from 2-5 days and the shown symptoms would be very similar to a cold. The victim would demonstrate a non-productive cough and mild chest discomfort. Initially, the symptoms would be mild but after several days they would escalate dramatically. These symptoms would include an edema of the chest wall, pleural effusions and cyanosis. An edema of the chest wall is dangerous because the swelling can burst the pleural effusions and can cause secondary drowning. Cyanosis is when blood without oxygen (deoxyhemoglobin) gathers in the extremities and blood with oxygen focuses on supporting the major organs. Although the symptoms of pulmonary anthrax
Smallpox is a viral infection caused by Variola major. This infection is currently one of the most dreaded diseases, and is believed to be more dangerous than the enemy’s sword. The exposure is usually an infection of the respiratory tract. After exposure, early symptoms are: headaches, back aches, fever, vomiting, discomfort, and feeling out of sorts. These symptoms go away usually in two days, and the patient feels better. Then about two days later, the patient has a flustered face, and lesions on the mouth, throat, and nasal membranes. At 5 days past exposure, red rashes and bumps appear on the skin, bleeding through skin, and mucous membranes. If the patients bleeds through their eyes, gums, or nose, the patient will not live much longer, but that is not usually the case. The bumps may touch each other or they may be separate from each other. If the bumps do not touch, the patients has a good chance of surviving. But if the bumps do touch, the patient has a forty percent chance of surviving. Dehydration is common in patients because it may be painful or difficult to drink. Around day ten, the bumps will become soft, and blisters will form. The fluid in the bumps is absorbed because of dehydration. A smell often comes from cracked bumps, and a second bacterial infection may occur due to the openings in the body. Two weeks after initial symptoms, the bumps and blisters are replaced by scabs. One week later the fever disappears, the patient returns to a normal life, and the
Symptoms usually appear within a week of ingestion. They are fever, lower abdominal pain, and bloody, pus-flecked diarrhea.
trouble breathing, chest pain, cough, fever, headache, overall weakness, bloody sputum (saliva and mucus or pus from the lungs)
Smallpox is a highly contagious disease in which a person could have it for twelve to fourteen days before symptoms first appear. Common symptoms include high fever, fatigue, headaches, exhaustion, and back and abdominal pain that can lead to vomiting. Soon after these first signs a rash will begin to appear starting on the face, then moving to the limbs, and finally the torso. The rash consists of many red spots. They turn into blisters and then later scab leaving scars. However, most flat hemorrhagic smallpox victims don’t survive to see the scars left behind. The immune system of a person with hemorrhagic smallpox is severely weakened. This allows the virus to grow faster in the spleen and bone marrow causing flawed blood clotting and usually kills the victim by the fifth or sixth day of the rash. This deadly virus can be transmitted through air, saliva, and the sores on a victim.
Anthrax is a very dangerous bacteria. In these crimes, anthrax was mailed to people and when they opened the letter, anthrax would spill out from the envelope and contaminate the environment, making people very sick.
There are a couple symptoms to smallpox, mostly affecting your skin. The first couple of days, it will begin with normal symptoms of a fever. Eventually, there will be body aches, headaches, and you will begin to feel weaker. Small, round blisters appear all around the body. Within a week, the pox becomes filled with pus and gets bigger. Then eventually, the blisters crust and stomach pains will most likely occur. Within the next couple of weeks, the blisters become scabs and they fall off, which result in scars on the skin. You could get scars, blindness and your hands and feet could get deformed. The scars stay on your body.
There are numerous symptoms that come with the smallpox disease. In the early age of the disease, symptoms include, a fever, vomiting, weakness, and body aches. These symptoms usually last for up to four days. The person that is effected by smallpox would have a fever within 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Like said above, the symptoms do not show up until after seven to 17 days. This period of time is called the incubation period. During these seven to 17 days, the disease has entered the body and is growing and multiplying without the carrier knowing. At this time, the infected person is not contagious. Smallpox is silent, but when it makes its appearance, it is deadly. Following the incubation period, the patient takes a turn for the worse. A few days later, red spots develop on your face, then on your hands, then on your neck. Soon they turn into blisters with pus in them. This worsens as the patient forms painful, blister-like sores in your mouth that break open.
Some of the symptoms that occur later can include a high fever usually above 102 degrees Fahrenheit, cough that has
Cutaneous (cut or scrape) anthrax symptoms can include; A group of small blisters or bumps that may itch, Swelling can occur around the sore, A painless skin sore (ulcer) with a black center that appears after the small blisters or bump, Most often the sore will be on the face, neck, arms, or hands. Inhalation anthrax symptoms can include; fever and chills, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, confusion or dizziness, cough, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, headache, sweats (often drenching), extreme tiredness, body aches. Gastrointestinal anthrax symptoms can include; Fever and chills, swelling of neck or neck glands, sore throat, painful swallowing, hoarseness, nausea and vomiting, especially bloody vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, headache, flushing (red face) and red eyes, stomach pain, fainting, swelling of abdomen (stomach). Injection anthrax symptoms can include; Fever and chills, a group of small blisters or bumps that may itch, appearing where the drug was injected, a painless skin sore with a black center that appears after the blisters or bumps, swelling around the sore, abscesses deep under the skin or in the muscle where the drug was injected (CDC, 2014).
The first stage of Pneumocosis is Anthracnosis. Anthracosis is a condition characterized by the accumulation of carbon in the lungs caused by inhaled smoke or coal dust. This is often asymptomatic and is found to at least some
SO how does Smallpox infect the human body? A person becomes infected with smallpox when the Variola Virus enters an individuals Respiratory tract, Eyes, Skin Pores or Mouth. “There are 2 clinical types of smallpox, variola major and variola minor. Variola major is the most common and severe form and has a death
Exposure to the virus is followed by an incubation period which people may not feel any sign of symptoms. The incubation period can range between 7 to 17 days. People are not contagious during this time period. After the incubation period, high fever, chills, severe headache and backache, and general malaise begin to develop. Your body temperature can reach up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. After 2 to 4 days, a rash emerges first as small red spots on the tongue and in the mouth. The spots develop into sores which spread large amounts of the virus into the mouth and throat. The person becomes most contagious during this phase. Soon after, the smallpox rash appears on exposed portions of the body: the face, forearms, wrists, palms, lower legs, feet, and soles. Usually the rash spreads to all parts of the body within 24 hours.
M. pneumoniae is generally referred to as primary atypical or walking pneumonia because the symptoms are not as sever as pneumonia. The symptoms include a dry hacking cough, fever, and headache. The symptoms will last for about 2 to 3 weeks. M. pneumoniae affects people worldwide. Typically only 33 % of people who have M. pneumoniae will get atypical pneumonia. The majority, 77 %, will come down with an upper tract infection (tracheaobronchitis). (Pulmonary Disorders pg 609) M. pneumoniae is transmitted through aerosol droplets. The bacterium is capable of infecting anyone at any time but it has a pattern of coming in the fall and winter and causing an outbreak every 4 to 8 years, although more tight communities occur more frequently. The pathogen rarely occurs on children less than 4 years of age. Since the bacterium lacks a cell wall, B-lactums are futile against them. The body’s immune system is responsible for killing the pathogen. There were 2 million cases in the US with 100,000 requiring hospitalization. The mortality rate is very low with only occasional fatalities among the elderly and sickle cell anemia persons. ( ).
As air sacs are destroyed, the lungs are able to transfer less and less oxygen to the bloodstream, causing shortness of breath. The lungs also lose their elasticity, which is important to keep airways open. The patient experiences great difficulty exhaling. Emphysema doesn't develop suddenly, it comes on very gradually.