Vaseksim



Bacillus anthracis is the cause ofanthrax(splenic scabies).

It is a gram-positive, aerobic, sporulating bacterium. They form disputes in the culture, soil, tissue and exudates of dead animals, but not in the blood or tissues of living animals. Disputes remain viable in the soil for several decades.

Epidemiology, transmission and symptoms
Anthrax is and always will be a bigger threat to herbivores (cattle, sheep, goats, wild horses).

People become infected through the skin (direct contact with an infected animal, industrial production processing rawhide, wool, etc.), inhalation (pulmonary anthrax, woolsorter's disease ) or ingesting the meat of infected animals.


 * 1) The skin form manifests itself as a reddish-brown papule, which changes into a pustula ( pustula maligna ), ev. carbuncle ( carbunculus contagiosus ), later with ulceration and the formation of the black eschar. There is usually a reaction of the nodes and general symptoms.
 * 2) The pulmonary form is caused by the spread of the original skin infection or by inhalation of anthrax bacillus; has a severe course with pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. The thoracic nodes are affected, the inflammation has a hemorrhagic character.
 * 3) The gastrointestinal form is very rare; hemorrhagic necrosis, mesenteric node reaction and sepsis occur in the intestinal wall.

Pathogenesis
B. anthracis virulence factors include many exotoxins and envelope.

Exotoxin: Plasmid -encoded thermolabile and heterogeneous protein complex consisting of 3 parts:


 * Edema Factor (EF)
 * Lethal Factor (LF)
 * Protective Antigen (PA)

In vivo, these 3 factors act synergistically. PA binds to eukaryotic cell surface receptors and is progressively cleaved by cellular proteases. The larger C-terminal portion of PA remains bound to the receptor and then binds either EF or LF, which enter the cell by endocytosis. EF acts as an adenylate cyclase. LF activates macrophages and cytokine production, leading to necrosis, fever , shock and death.

Cover: The capsule is a D-glutamic acid polypeptide that has an anti-phagocytotic effect.

Diagnosis
Direct microscopy, cultivation, animal experiment, ev. serology. A professional medical history is important.

Therapy
He is treated with antibiotics, megadoses of penicillin , streptomycin , or erythromycin. Furthermore, corticoids. General care is required. The mild topical form may not always require antibiotics. The prognosis of the pulmonary and intestinal forms is uncertain, with late treatment it can be fatal. Anthrax bacilli are being misused to make biological weapons .

related articles

 * Microbiology repetitorium