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The Black Death and Other Pandemics
Published in Scott M. Jackson, Skin Disease and the History of Dermatology, 2023
Anthrax is an infection with the Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, that more commonly attacks livestock than humans. Humans who tend to infected cattle, such as wool handlers, are at high risk for the disease by either skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion of Bacillus spores. Anthrax most commonly presents first on the skin; this form is known as cutaneous anthrax and is characterized by a solitary, painless black nodule with a peripheral red halo. Fortunately, cutaneous anthrax is not particularly deadly, unlike the pulmonary and gastrointestinal forms of the disease, but all forms can be successfully cured with antibiotics.
Police custodial healthcare
Published in Jason Payne-James, Richard Jones, Simpson's Forensic Medicine, 2019
Jason Payne-James, Richard Jones
Specific issues may arise which require an awareness of local trends and behaviours. Often these relate to drug use (either due to the nature of the drug taken or the means by which it was administered). Anthrax (caused by Bacillus anthracis) is rare in the UK but was identified in injecting drugs misusers. Ultra-potent opioids (e.g., fentanyl and carfentanil) are now widely available, and detainees (and police and healthcare professionals caring for them) may be at risk of exposure to these potent narcotics necessitating guidance for scene safety and force protection from medical directors. The availability of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) with many different modes of action and clinical effects often makes assessment difficult. Rare medical conditions may also be responsible for deaths in police custody.
Skin infections
Published in Ronald Marks, Richard Motley, Common Skin Diseases, 2019
Anthrax is due to a rare, potentially fatal infection with a Gram-positive bacillus (Bacillus anthracis) causing black, scabbed sores and septicaemia. It is spread by farm animals and, because the microorganism has a resistant spore form, can stay on infected land for years. It has assumed a major importance because of its deliberate spread by terrorists in the USA.
Efficacy assessment of a triple anthrax chimeric antigen as a vaccine candidate in guinea pigs: challenge test with Bacillus anthracis 17 JB strain spores
Published in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 2021
Masoud Abdous, Sadegh Hasannia, Ali Hatef Salmanian, Seyed-Shahryar Arab
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease with global dispersion caused by inhalation, ingestion or contact of skin abrasions with Bacillus anthracis [1]. Prevention of anthrax infection in animals, in addition to reducing animal deaths and economic losses, decreases human exposure to this disease. Anthrax, if not treated, usually leads to fatal systemic diseases. However, antibiotics may be used to eliminate the bacteria, but the level of toxins is often very high in the bloodstream. Thus, removing the bacteria alone is not sufficient for prevention and long-term protection is only achieved by combining appropriate antibiotic therapy with post-exposure vaccination. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the role and the importance of vaccine components and vaccination strategy in anthrax prevention [2,3]. It has been proved that the pathogenicity of B. anthracis depends on the presence of a D-glutamic acid capsule and different toxins including protective antigen (PA, 83 kDa), edema factor (EF, 89 kDa), and lethal factor (LF, 93 kDa). The toxins and the capsule are encoded by several genes located on two plasmids, pXO1 and pXO2, respectively [4]. Anthrax toxins neutralizing antibodies are effectively capable of affecting various steps involved in toxin entry, including (i) PA83 binding to its receptors, (ii) PA83 cleavage by furin, (iii) PA20 release, (iv) PA63 heptamerization, (v & vi) binding of LF/EF to the heptamer by targeting PA63, and (vii) endocytosis of toxins by target cells [5].
Vaccines against anthrax based on recombinant protective antigen: problems and solutions
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2019
Olga A. Kondakova, Nikolai A. Nikitin, Ekaterina A. Evtushenko, Ekaterina M. Ryabchevskaya, Joseph G. Atabekov, Olga V. Karpova
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease induced by the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The disease manifests itself in one of three forms – cutaneous, gastrointestinal or inhalation (pneumonic) – depending on the route of exposure. The inhalation form is the most severe, due to its systemic nature, rapid development and high mortality rate. Infection occurs once the spores are inhaled. An aerosol of B. anthracis spores poses a serious threat, as it may serve as a biological weapon and bio-terror agent. The B. anthracis spores are highly resilient and can survive for decades or even centuries under extreme temperature or chemical treatments. They can easily be aerosolized and disseminated [1,2]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the USA (CDC) classifies В. anthracis as a category A agent on its bioterrorism agents list (highest priority) [3].
Maternal immunization: where are we now and how to move forward?
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2018
Ivo Vojtek, Ilse Dieussaert, T. Mark Doherty, Valentine Franck, Linda Hanssens, Jacqueline Miller, Rafik Bekkat-Berkani, Walid Kandeil, David Prado-Cohrs, Andrew Vyse
Pregnant women may also be vaccinated against meningococcal disease, cholera, Japanese encephalitis or tick-borne encephalitis during outbreaks, in endemic regions or if the risk of infection is high [83–85]. Although live-attenuated vaccines are not recommended for pregnant women, women who live in or must travel to areas where the risk of yellow fever is high should be vaccinated since the risk of yellow fever infection during pregnancy substantially outweighs the limited theoretical risk from vaccination [86]. However, some cases of yellow fever infection in infants acquired through breast milk have been reported with the live-attenuated vaccine strain, hence nursing mothers should be counselled regarding the benefits and potential risks of vaccination [87]. The rabies vaccine is recommended as post-exposure prophylaxis or even as pre-exposure prophylaxis if the risk of exposure to rabies is substantial [88]. Similarly, the adsorbed anthrax vaccine is recommended as a component of post-exposure prophylaxis in pregnant women exposed to aerosolized Bacillus anthracis spores [89]. Finally, results from pneumococcal maternal immunization studies are encouraging so far but insufficient to determine whether infections are reduced in infants born to vaccinated women [90].