What Part of the Human Body Does Anthrax Infect?

Cutaneous Anthrax

If you become subjected to cutaneous anthrax, the bacterium has entered your skin either through a cut or sore. According to the Mayo Clinic, a cutaneous anthrax infection is the most common form of the disease. This type of infection is less serious, and easily treatable. Very rarely is a cutaneous infection deadly.

Cutaneous Symptoms

The effects of a cutaneous infection include itchy bumps that resemble insect bites (mosquito bites, for example). These bumps will become raised. Eventually the bump will become a sore with a black center. The sore may become swollen, as well as surrounding lymph glands.

Gastrointestinal Anthrax

A person who becomes infected with gastrointestinal anthrax does so by eating meat that is undercooked, or by eating meat from an animal that is infected with anthrax. In many instances, symptoms may be compared to symptoms of food poisoning.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

If you become infected with gastrointestinal anthrax, you will experience nausea, and according to the Mayo Clinic, vomiting accompanied by blood. Blood exhibited in bile is usually a symptom that is experienced in the later stage of the infection. Other symptoms can include fever, loss of appetite, bloody diarrhea, sore throat, and swollen neck.

Pulmonary Anthrax

Pulmonary anthrax is the most deadly from of all three infections. When you develop pulmonary anthrax, it is due to the inhalation of a large amount of anthrax spores. According to the Mayo Clinic, even with treatment, pulmonary anthrax is usually fatal. Initial symptoms start out like a flu, but symptoms progress into severe and potentially fatal complications.

Pulmonary Symptoms

The initial stages of pulmonary anthrax begin with a sore throat, fever, muscles aches, and extreme fatigue. You can also experience discomfort within the chest. As the anthrax infection advances, fever will become higher (over 101 degrees Fahrenheit), breathing will become labored, and shock will occur (when organs begin to fail). Meningitis can also occur, whereby the spinal cord and brain become inflamed. In serious complications, bleeding can occur within the brain, which is known as hemorrhagic meningitis.

Causes

Anthrax forms naturally as a result of spores being created from bacteria within soil. These spores will remain dormant for long periods of time, until a host, such as an animal picks up these spores. According to the Mayo Clinic, most anthrax infections occur as a result of animal contamination. In some instances, the use of anthrax spores has been transmitted through bioterrorism. In 2001, 22 people in the U.S. were infected with anthrax through the mail, with five of these individuals dying.

References

• Mayo Clinic and Anthrax
• Anthrax and Bioterrorism
• The WHO and Anthrax Facts