Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic lower vertebrates (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes, and other herbivores), but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions where it occurs in animals. These include South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. When anthrax affects humans, it is usually due to an occupational exposure to infected animals or their products. Workers who are exposed to dead animals and animal products from other countries where anthrax is more common may become infected with B. anthracis (industrial anthrax). Anthrax […] Read More
Tag: Bacillus anthracis
By Corinna Richards As recently as just several years ago, consumers faced few choices when it came to probiotics, or beneficial bacteria, those “good little bugs” that keep the “bad bugs” living inside us in check. Beyond live-culture yogurt, not many people knew where to find friendly bacteria. For those who did, there were relatively few products from which to choose. Although the term probiotics was, in fact, first used in scientific literature in 1965 (in Science magazine), these days we know much more about these beneficial bacteria and how essential they are to our health. (For a good overview, read “Probiotics: An Old Story Takes On New Meaning,” Issue 44/November 2001.) At the most basic level, probiotics help maintain the proper balance and functioning […] Read More