Mans legendary battle with disease has always been on the move, what with newer diseases & organisms being discovered everyday. At a time when viruses like HIV & HEPATITIS-B have been smugly hogging the limelight, they find themselves suddenly sidelined by an innocuous BACTERIA which seems to have wrestled its way up to grab centre stage quite easily.all due to its use( misuse, rather!) as an agent of biological warfare.
Wanna know about this little mischief-monger who’s enjoying the undivided attention of the world right now.after a looong period of oblivion?.Well.read on.!.
THE DISEASE
ANTHRAX
The disease gets its name from its causative agent-Bacillus Anthracis, a tiny rectangular, spore forming bacteria.Beneath the benign looking exterior, lurks a dangerous foe.for once within the body, the bacteria unleashes a wide range of deadly toxins, which launches a wide spread destruction of tissues in the body.
THE VICTIMS
Animals are the chief targets of this bacteria, wherein the disease tends to be more severe. Humans have a better degree of resistance(Thank God for little mercies!) and are only affected when the spores enter the body either by-
Contact with infected animals\contaminated animal products. Hence agricultural workers, industrial workers are the ones who are most susceptible to the disease
Inhalation of spores:- This mechanism is adopted for biological warfare
Insect bites
Contaminated meat:-Rarest means of entrance
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE DISEASE
Once within the body, the spores germinate & the bacteria makes itself comfy within the body in no time. Cleverly evading the bodys natural defense mechanisms.( i.e destruction by the white blood cells), the bacteria multiplies rapidly, produces its toxins which create havoc by destroying tissues & causing bleeding.
Few types of the disease have been described, depending upon the organs affected:
1) CUTANEOUS ANTHRAX
This type chiefly affects the skin, producing a characteristic blackened ulcer, associated with considerable swelling due to accumulation of fluid. The fully developed state is rarely painful. In most of the cases, healing occurs spontaneously, even without treatment. Rare cases may progress to a more generalised form.
2) INHALATIONAL ANTHRAX
Also termed as ’Woolsorters disease’(due to the obvious occupational cause), this form of Anthrax affects the lungs in its initial stage. After an incubation period of 1-3 days, non specific features of a common viral flu develop which then progresses to increasing fever, breathlessness, hoarseness, dizziness, & hypotension(low blood pressure)progressing to a secondary pneumonia. In some cases, a very rapidly developing condition occurs, associated with large amounts of toxin production, which results in a dangerous condition of ’haemorhagic mediastinitis’(bleeding in the central compartment of the chest, between the lungs, which contains important structures like blood vessels, the wind pipe & the food pipe.).further progressing to severe bacterial onslaught of the blood stream & bleeding in the vital organs.
3) GASTROINTESTINAL ANTHRAX
The rarest variety, this is characterised by nausea, vomiting, increasing abdominal pain & diarrhoea which is often bloody.
Other extremely rare forms include Anthrax meningitis( infection of the lining of the brain).
THE TREATMENT
The bacteria can easily be defeated by a wide range of easily available antibiotics, like penicillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetra cycline, streptomycin etc.
The earlier the treatment, the better the prognosis.
Although timely intervention is believed to be the key in successful management, this does not necessarily indicate pressing the panic button at the slightest hint of a respiratory infection. Instead, it would be worthwhile, however, to not ignore the symptoms of a flu, especially if it seems to be deteriorating instead of improving over a period of time.
As a parting note, may I add that although a few warped minded biologists are busy exploiting the Anthrax bacilli for its potential use as a biological weapon, on the other hand we also do have an extremely dedicated cohort of biologists who are working overtime in discovering effective vaccines for the disease.With the pressures building up after the recent Florida episodes, the stimulus for an effective vaccine is even more.it shouldnt be long before a superlative vaccine is produced with which B.Anthracis is shown the door, once & for all!
Till then, more power to these dedicated researchers!.May their tribes increase!