Anthrax

anthrax, also called malignant pustule or woolsorters’ disease, acute, infectious, febrile disease of animals and humans caused by Bacillus anthracis, a bacterium that under certain conditions forms highly resistant spores capable of persisting and retaining their virulence for many years. Although anthrax most commonly affects grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and mules, humans can develop the disease by eating the meat or handling the wool, hair, hides, bones, or carcasses of affected animals. When anthrax—its name derived from the Greek word for coal—attacks a person’s skin, a sore with a coal-black centre develops. Anthrax spores can also be produced inexpensively and converted into either a powder or a liquid, allowing anthrax to be used in a variety of weapons systems. Its potential use as a biological weapon has made anthrax a prime concern of countries seeking to control the spread of terrorism.