anthracis Colony on blood agar Mucoid and orange Gray-white to white Spore production - + (central) Motility + - Hemolysis on blood agar - - Penicillin susceptibility + + Catalase production + + Indole production - - Growth at 4[degrees]C + - Anaerobic growth + + Cutaneous infection Ulcer, black eschar, Eschar, malignant blister pustule Other infections None reported Intestinal anthrax,
pulmonary anthrax, meningitis * +, present; -, absent.
Pulmonary anthrax is rare in the United States and was historically associated with woolsorters at industrial mills.
The musical instrument maker is thought to have caught rare
pulmonary anthrax after inhaling spores from skins he used to make bongo drums.
Doctors in the Borders have been trying to trace anyone recently connected with Christopher "Pascal" Norris, who is thought to have died from
pulmonary anthrax on July 8.
Last night, NHS Borders confirmed they received results from tests at the Porton Down medical labs by Thursday, August 10, showing he had died of
pulmonary anthrax.
No cases of
pulmonary anthrax have occurred since 1975.
This low rate indicates that the majority of the patients were considered to be at little or no risk for having active
pulmonary anthrax.
There are only 250 medical toxicologists in the United States and most infectious disease experts have never treated a case of
pulmonary anthrax or smallpox.
On October 17, 2001, almost two weeks after Robert Stevens died of
pulmonary anthrax at a hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Bush administration unveiled its plans to build up, in a big way, the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile--the drugs, vaccines, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, and other medical supplies that are kept at the ready to respond to large-scale bioterrorist attacks.
One of the more telling quotes in this regard came in an October 25 New York Times story: "So far I don't see any baseball caps for postal workers like everyone's wearing for the firemen and police lost in New York," said Patricia Johnson, a veteran mail carrier and union president for workers in the facility where the two dead workers are believed to have contracted
pulmonary anthrax. "No one's starting a fund for the families of the two postal workers," Johnson noted.
Pulmonary anthrax is treatable, however, if the infection is detected early enough.
Their fears have been fuelled by the diagnosis of
pulmonary anthrax in a member of staff at the State Department's sorting office in Virginia - 20 miles from the centre of the worst outbreak in Washington.
pulmonary anthrax - a form of anthrax infection acquired by inhalation of dust containing Bacillus anthracis; initial symptoms (chill and cough and dyspnea and rapid pulse) are followed by extreme cardiovascular collapse