Question

•Why is Anthrax such a potent weapon of bioterrorism? What are its characteristics that make it so? references

Answer 1

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The bacteria live in soil and usually infect wild and domestic animals, such as goats, cattle and sheep.

Anthrax and bioterrorism

Anthrax can be created easily in a lab, and is highly durable.

Spores of anthrax bacteria can lie dormant for years before entering a living host, where they reactivate and multiply.

B. anthracis spores are virtually indestructible, remaining viable after being exposed to extreme temperatures and ultra-violet radiation.

The spores are also light, odorless, and colorless, and can easily infect a large population quickly and without being detected.

Anthrax makes the perfect deadly biological weapon. These characteristics make anthrax an extremely dangerous bioterrorism weapon.

There are three ways to acquire anthrax. The most common and least serious is called cutaneous (or skin) anthrax and occurs when B. anthracis spores make contact with abrased skin.

Anthrax can also be acquired by ingesting improperly cooked meat from an infected animal.

The third and most deadly type of infection is inhalation anthrax. Infection occurs when 10,000 to 50,000 spores are inhaled into the lungs. Once in the lungs, the spores germinate, form active bacteria, and migrate to the lymph nodes where the bacteria get inside macrophages. Later, the bacteria multiply and convert into a virulent form that produces the anthrax toxin. Anthrax toxin causes internal bleeding and destroys the body’s immune system, eventually causing septic shock and killing the host.

References:

http://www.livescience.com/37755-what-is-anthrax-bioterrorism.html

http://www.wiley.com/legacy/college/boyer/0470003790/cutting_edge/anthrax/anthrax.htm