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Chapter 33 - Anthrax

from Section 5 - Bacterial Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Richard Kock ,
Abdinasir Yusuf Osman  and
Leonard Mboera
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

Anthrax is sometimes described as a zoonotic disease but it does not exactly fit with the generally accepted definition of a direct, naturally transmissible infection of humans from animals. Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis, a large Gram-positive encapsulated, non-motile, aerobic bacterium which evolved the mechanism to sporulate after exposure to the air, from its vegetative form in the bloodstream of animals. This creates a formidable mechanism for persistence in the environment (Swartz 2001).

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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 396 - 400
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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