PLEASE NOTE: The science articles in this issue of DASEES are a sampling of the many documents that can be found online. They are not peer reviewed papers, but descriptions and reports of research being done on anthrax.

See bottom article for surveillence and reporting information.


Science and Technology:

CDC Anthrax Vaccine Safety & Efficacy Research Program: Interim Report - Committee to Review the CDC Anthrax Vaccine Safety and Efficacy Research Program, Board of the Medical Follow-Up Agency
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10157.html

BIOTERRORISM: Public Health and Medical Preparedness - Research Activities Focus on Detection, Treatment, Vaccination, and Equipment Research is currently being done to enable the rapid identification of biological agents in a variety of settings; develop new or improved vaccines, antibiotics, and antivirals to improve treatment and vaccination for infectious diseases caused by biological agents; and develop and test emergency response equipment such as respiratory and other personal protective equipment.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?gao-02-141t

Anthrax as a Biological Weapon - JAMA. 1999;281:1735-1745

Transgenomic Technology Proving to be Useful Tool in Fight Against Terrorism -- Company Applies the Speed, Sensitivity and Versatility of Its WAVE(R) Analysis System to Crime Victim Identification, Development of Defenses Against Bioterrorism Transgenomic, Inc. (Nasdaq: TBIO) announced that its WAVE system has been proposed as a solution for the identification of victims of the recent terrorist attacks, based on the results of a study conducted by the University of Denver. Transgenomic also announced that its technology is being used by leading defense contractors to develop protocols for the rapid detection of biological agents that may be used in an attack by terrorists.
http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010928970000097.html?
cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Chemical Neutralizes Anthrax Toxin - Nathan Seppa.
Scientists have created a synthetic compound that disables the toxin that makes the bacterial disease anthrax so lethal. Meanwhile, another research team has discovered a gene that protects some mice against anthrax. These findings could lead to an antidote to the anthrax toxin and help clarify the mechanism by which it kills.

Whether the new compound can serve as an antitoxin in people remains unclear since the scientists have tested it only in rats, says R. John Collier of Harvard Medical School in Boston. Nevertheless, the concept of neutralizing anthrax toxin has appeal because the current treatments, which target the bacterium, and the vaccine now in use have drawbacks.

http://www.sciencenews.org/20011006/fob1.asp

Use of Anthrax Vaccine in the United States - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), December 15, 2000 / Vol. 49 / No. RR-15

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The disease most commonly occurs in wild and domestic mammals (e.g., humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals or when they are directly exposed to B. anthracis. Depending on the route of infection, anthrax disease can occur in three forms: cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and inhalation. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr4915.pdf


What Is Anthrax:

Anthrax - United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, September 1999.
Anthrax, a disease of mammals and humans, is caused by a spore-forming bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax has an almost worldwide distribution and is a zoonotic disease, meaning it may spread from animals to humans. All mammals appear to be susceptible to anthrax to some degree, but ruminants—such as cattle, sheep, and goats—are the most susceptible and commonly affected, followed by horses, and then swine. In ruminants, the disease is generally characterized by sudden death.
Ruminants contract the disease primarily through ingestion of soilborne anthrax spores. Anthrax does not spread by contact between animals. Anthrax has received greater attention recently because of its potential as an agent in biological weapons, both on the battlefield and in a terrorist strike.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov:80/oa/pubs/anthrax.html

Texas Animal Health Commission Provides Anthrax Information - Information supplied by the Texas Animal Health Commission and edited by AgWeb.com 7/13/2001.
So far this summer, Texas ranches have confirmed cases of anthrax in deer and livestock.
Many concerned farmers and ranchers have contacted the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) requesting information about anthrax. As a result, TAHC is offering a new, free brochure detailing the disease. Much of the information from the brochure is included below.
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp
?file=AgNewsArticle_20017131824_149&articleID=
77203&newscat=GN

Facts on Anthrax -

About 95 percent of all cases of anthrax worldwide result from skin contact with infected animals or tissue, and ranchers and animal handlers are sometimes at risk.
Two suspected case of so-called cutaneous anthrax have been reported in Texas this year, both in ranch workers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported another cutaneous case in a North Dakota rancher last year.
http://library.northernlight.com/ED20011004490000031.html
?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Anthrax (malignant edema, woolsorters' disease)
What is anthrax?
Who gets anthrax?
How is anthrax transmitted?
What are the symptoms of anthrax? Etc.

http://www.aomc.org/ComDiseases/Anthrax.html


Anthrax in Animals:

Anthrax - John Kirk, DVM, MPVM1 and Heidi Hamlen, DVM, MS, DACVPM2, 1Veterinary Medicine Extension, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Tulare, CA and 2California Department of Food and Agriculture, Animal Health Branch Disease Program, Sacramento
Anthrax is as old as antiquity. The Bible speaks of "the plague, which caused sudden death in livestock".
The Animal Health Branch—Emergency Disease Programs has historical records dating from 1926 showing 34 anthrax outbreaks in 12 counties of California. During 1984, an anthrax outbreak occurred in the Carrisa Plains that affected 12 general areas, and killed 43 cattle and 135 sheep. Since 1991, there have only been 10 known cases of anthrax in California livestock, nine of which occurred in cattle.
While deaths from anthrax occur sporadically ever year, these outbreaks in the Midwest are somewhat unusual. The purpose of this article will be review anthrax primarily as it occurs cattle so that livestock owners may be aware of the signs and risk factors of anthrax in cattle.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-DA_Anthrax.html

Anthrax Resistance Found in Some Mice - Bijal P. Trivedi, For National Geographic News, October 2, 2001.
Some mice may be better prepared for anthrax attacks than others, a new study reveals. Researchers have discovered a gene variant that renders some mice strains resistant to a deadly toxin produced by the anthrax bacteria. The findings may eventually lead to new treatments and vaccines for the disease in humans.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1002_TVanthrax.html


Anthrax In Humans and As a BioWeapon:


CDC: Public health message regarding anthrax case - Friday, October 05, 2001 The Florida State Department of Health and the CDC are investigating a case of anthrax in a 63-year-old male Florida resident. The diagnosis is confirmed by CDC's laboratory. So far this appears to be an isolated case.
Anthrax is not contagious. The illness is not transmitted person to person. The Florida State Health Department and a team from CDC are aggressively investigating the source of infection. They are reconstructing the patient's schedule for the last few weeks to attempt to determine the location where the patient may have been exposed.
http://library.northernlight.com/FB20011005810000026.html?
cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc
Human Ingestion of Bacillus Anthracis-Contaminated Meat --- Minnesota, August 2000
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) was notified by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) of Bacillus anthracis isolated from a steer on a farm in Roseau County, Minnesota. The infected steer was one of five dead cattle found in a pasture on August 20. On the basis of phage typing of isolates cultured from tissues and blood samples by the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, B. anthracis was confirmed. This report describes the management of and public health response to human exposure to meat contaminated with anthrax.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4936a1.htm

Anthrax as a Biological Weapon - Medical and Public Health Management, Thomas V. Inglesby, MD; Donald A. Henderson, MD, MPH; John G. Bartlett, MD; Michael S. Ascher, MD; Edward Eitzen, MD, MPH; Arthur M. Friedlander, MD; Jerome Hauer, MPH; Joseph McDade, PhD; Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH; Tara O'Toole, MD, MPH; Gerald Parker, PhD, DVM; Trish M. Perl, MD, MSc; Philip K. Russell, MD; Kevin Tonat, PhD; for the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense. JAMA. 1999;281:1735-1745

Objective: To develop consensus-based recommendations for measures to be taken by medical and public health professionals

Of the numerous biological agents that may be used as weapons, the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense has identified a limited number of organisms that could cause disease and deaths in sufficient numbers to cripple a city or region. Anthrax is one of the most serious of these diseases.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n18/ffull/jst80027.html

Anthrax a Perfect Biological Weapon, Experts Say - Story Filed: Monday, October 08, 2001 5:05 PM EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deadly and hard to diagnose until it is too late for the victim, anthrax makes a nearly perfect biological weapon, experts say.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the cases of a Florida man who died of inhaled anthrax last week and a colleague who had inhaled some of the spores, and may treat the case as a criminal investigation, U.S. Attorney-general John Ashcroft says.
http://library.northernlight.com/HB20011008990000010.html?cb
=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Early Anthrax Detection Crucial - Story Filed: Monday, October 08, 2001. Anthrax is an animal disease that rarely spreads to humans and almost never is transmitted from person to person. Early symptoms from inhalation anthrax, the most rare kind, begin with a cough but rapidly progress into severe breathing problems and shock. They initially can be confused with the flu. To be effective, antibiotic treatment must begin before symptoms show up -- usually within one week, but sometimes as long as two months after exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified two antibiotics -- Cipro and doxycycline -- to treat anthrax. http://library.northernlight.com/EE20011008440000032.html?
cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Watch For, Report, Signs of Livestock Disease
Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 *Austin, Texas 78711 *(800) 550-8242* FAX (512) 719-0719
Linda Logan, DVM, PhD* Executive Director

For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer,
at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us

Ranchers & Veterinarians:
In this era of heightened awareness about unusual activities, livestock health officials are asking ranchers to check their livestock regularly and immediately report signs of disease. Also, animal owners are asked to report suspicious activities, intruders or circumstances to local police or sheriff's department. License plate numbers and descriptions of trespassers, should be recorded.
"We're urging producers to keep a closer watch on their animals, in light of recent events in our country," commented Dr. Linda Logan, Texas' state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state's livestock health regulatory agency. "As always, individual livestock producers and private veterinary practitioners are our first line of defense if--or when--a livestock disease is accidentally or intentionally introduced into the state. The immediate reporting of suspicious or unusual conditions can make all the difference in our ability to swiftly diagnose, control and eradicate a disease."