National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Anthrax is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Anthrax
Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a microbe that lives in soil. Many people know about it from the 2001 bioterror attacks. In the attacks, someone purposely spread anthrax through the U.S. mail. This killed five people and made 22 sick.
Anthrax affects farm animals more often than people. But it can cause three forms of disease in people. They are:
- Cutaneous, which affects the skin. People with cuts or open sores can get it if they touch the bacteria.
- Inhalation, which affects the lungs. You can get this if you breathe in spores of the bacteria.
- Gastrointestinal, which affects the digestive system. You can get it by eating infected meat.
Antibiotics often cure anthrax if it is diagnosed early. But many people don't know they have anthrax until it is too late to treat. A vaccine to prevent anthrax is available for people in the military and others at high risk.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Anthrax(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
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Anthrax
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Questions and Answers about Anthrax(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Anthrax
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Overviews
- Anthrax(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response: Anthrax(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Anthrax Q & A: Anthrax and Influenza(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Anthrax Q & A: Diagnosis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Anthrax Q & A: Laboratory Testing(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Anthrax Q & A: Signs and Symptoms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Treatment
- Anthrax Q & A: Treatment(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Drug Information Related to Anthrax(Food and Drug Administration)
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Prevention/Screening
- Anthrax Q & A: Preventive Therapy(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Anthrax Vaccine: What You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- How to Recognize and Handle a Suspicious Package or Envelope(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Mail Irradiation(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation)
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Related Issues
- Anthrax eTool: Protecting the Worksite against Terrorism(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Anthrax Q & A: Anthrax and Animal Hide Drums(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Anthrax Q & A: Risk(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Respirators for Public Health Emergencies(Food and Drug Administration)
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Pictures & Photographs
- Anthrax(Logical Images)
- Cutaneous Anthrax(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Inhalation Anthrax(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Tutorials
- Anthrax(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Anthrax(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Anthrax
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
- Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program(Dept. of Defense)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Also available in Spanish
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Children
- Children and Anthrax: A Fact Sheet for Parents(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- What Is Anthrax?(Nemours Foundation)
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Teenagers
- Anthrax(Nemours Foundation)
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Women
- Guidelines for Pregnant Women Who Have Been Exposed to Anthrax but Do Not Have Symptoms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Patient Handouts
- Anthrax
- Also available in Spanish
- Anthrax Vaccine: What You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
Anthrax - Multiple Languages