What is anthrax and how not to get it

What is anthrax

Anthrax is a bacterial infection that affects animals and humans. It belongs to the most dangerous - this means that Rospotrebnadzor thinks its appearance is an extraordinary epidemic event. And the point is not only that infection can end in death, but also in the characteristics of the pathogen.

anthrax causebacillus anthracis, living in the soil. Under adverse conditions, they do not die, but form spores. Their shell thickens, and their metabolism slows down, as if they are falling asleep (if you can say that about bacteria). They are not afraid of cold, high temperatures, disinfectant liquids, time - these are practically immortal bacilli. For example, in the soil, on animal skins, in wool, such spores can live for decades. And as soon as they enter the body, they begin to actively multiply and release very toxic toxins.

Thanks to such vitality and unpretentiousness, anthrax can really be used as a biological weapon. In 2001 in the US, various influential people

got letters with dried disputes. Then it turned out that the envelopes were sent by an American scientist who studied these microorganisms.

Contrary to associations, the disease is found all over the world, and it is called Siberian only here, because it was first described there. The international name is anthrax, which means Means "coal". The fact is that the affected skin becomes black.

How do you get anthrax

anthrax pandemic to be can not. Usually people get infected from sick animals and do not spread the disease further.

Animals

Domestic and wild species, such as cattle, sheep, goats, antelopes, and deer, become infected if they inhale or eat spores found in contaminated soil, plants, or water.

If somewhere animals used to suffer from anthrax, then they are regularly given vaccinationsto prevent new cases.

People

To infect the body must infiltrate pathogen spores. This usually happens when they are inhaled or eaten, less often when they get into cuts or wounds. Since in developed countries most people rarely come into contact with soil and skins, the disease is not common.

Anthrax cannot be contracted from a person in the same way as, for example, a cold or flu. But sometimes an infection can be picked up if the patient's skin is affected and discharge with the pathogen oozes out of it.

Who is more likely to get anthrax

There are people who are still relate to the risk group. This:

• those who work with meat and animal skins: employees of farms, slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, tanneries, wool washing factories, shops for the production of meat and bone meal and bone glue;
• travelers;
• veterinarians;
• workers biological laboratories;
• military.

They are vaccinated annually to prevent infection.

Now the risk group can also be conditionally attributed injecting drug users, because in Northern Europe there were several cases of transmission of this disease through shared syringes.

How anthrax manifests itself

From infection to symptom onset Maybe go from 2 days to 1 month. The picture will depend on where exactly the pathogen hit.

Skin form

95–98% anthrax pathogens penetrate through the skin. But the disease develops only in 20% of cases. In people appear:

• painless skin lesions of red color with a black scab in the center;
• swelling and redness around such a focus;
• fever;
• inflammation lymph nodes;
• headache;
• muscle pain.

Skin lesions heal within a few weeks. The prognosis is usually favorable.

Pulmonary form

Everything is more dangerous here. Those who inhale controversy, for sure get sick. The pulmonary form proceeds very hard. The symptoms are:

• heat;
• photophobia;
• lacrimation;
• eye redness;
• sneezing
• chest pain;
• bloody frothy sputum;
• pressure reduction;
• pneumonia;
• confusion;
• pulmonary edema.

Even if you start treating immediately, if pulmonary edema or signs of shock appear (pressure drop, impaired consciousness), up to 90% of patients die. Fortunately, ulcers are rarely transmitted this way.

intestinal form

intestinal form develops on the first or fifth day after eating spores with food. Sometimes it is asymptomatic, but more often it is very difficult. Observed:

• acute pain in the abdomen;
• high fever with chills;
• hematemesis;
• diarrhea with blood;
• bloating;
• intestinal obstruction;
• intestinal rupture;
• swelling of the mouth and throat;
• ulcers on the tonsils.

Generalized form

The rarest variant. In this form of the disease, bacilli fall into the blood. This can happen immediately, for example when injecting drugs. Also, pulmonary and intestinal forms are able to develop into a generalized form.

The symptoms are very pronounced:

• temperature up to 40 degrees;
• severe chills;
• headache;
• tachycardia;
• pressure drop;
• confusion and loss of consciousness;
• failure of internal organs;
• hemorrhagic rash;
• nose, stomach and uterine bleeding.

At some point, the temperature drops to normal and it seems that relief has come. A few hours later, the person dies.

How is anthrax diagnosed?

Skin form It has a very characteristic clinical picture: a black hard scab in the center of the affected area. Then the doctor quickly understands what's wrong.

But sometimes anthrax can look like another infection at first. The suspicion then usually arises because of the circumstances of the patient's life.

In both cases, an analysis is immediately prescribed for the pathogen.

How is anthrax treated

anthrax cause bacteria and their poisons. Accordingly, the main treatment is antibiotics and antitoxin, that is, a substance that neutralizes toxins.

In addition, symptomatic therapy is required. For example, artificial lung ventilation, diuretics - from edema, plasma infusion - for clotting disorders, and so on.

How to protect yourself from anthrax

Risk get sick anthrax is now small. Enough:

• do not contact with wild animals;
• do not buy meat and fur from your hands;
• people from risk groups must undergo vaccination.

If an unvaccinated person could somehow come into contact with spores, doctors appoint him a prophylactic treatment regimen with antibiotics and antibodies, without waiting for the appearance of signs of the disease.