From owner-ignition-point@majordomo.pobox.com Sat Feb 14 11:54:34 1998 Received: from listbox.com ([208.210.124.23]) by THE-SPA.COM with SMTP (IPAD 2.03) id 6642400 ; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 11:54:34 EST Received: (qmail 1453 invoked by uid 516); 14 Feb 1998 16:57:09 -0000 Delivered-To: ignition-point@majordomo.pobox.com Received: (qmail 1260 invoked from network); 14 Feb 1998 16:56:53 -0000 Received: from zoom1.telepath.com (HELO telepath.com) (root@205.228.200.20) by majordomo.pobox.com with SMTP; 14 Feb 1998 16:56:52 -0000 Received: from default (zoom195-117.telepath.com [205.228.195.117]) by telepath.com (8.8.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id KAA09213; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 10:57:19 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19980214105500.007d44c0@telepath.com> X-Sender: believer@telepath.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 10:55:00 -0600 To: believer@telepath.com From: believer@telepath.com Subject: IP: Anthrax Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-ignition-point@majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: list Reply-To: believer@telepath.com Forwarded FYI: ---------------- Michele -- This is what you asked for (I found it in one of the flight surgeon books I was issued on the first day of my class here in [city redacted]. Just a note to you: Anthrax is VERY hard to kill. I don't think bleach would do the trick, to be honest. It is hardened against normal (natural) environmental stressors and can last DECADES out in the open! This is truely the final word: Hope it is what you were looking for. ANTHRAX mode of transmission Cutaneous infection is by contact with tissues of animals (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, and others) dining of the contaminated hair, wool, hides or products made from them such as drums or brushes; or contact with soil associated with infected animals were contaminated bone meal used in gardening. Inhalation anthrax results from inhalation of sports in risky industrial processes such as tanning of hides, or wool or bone processing, where aerosols of B. anthracis spores may be produced. Intestinal and oropharyngeal anthrax arise from the ingestion of contaminated meat; there's no evidence that no crew infected animals transmits anthrax. The diseases spreads among grazing animals through contaminated soil and feed, and among omnivorous and carnivorous animals through contaminated meet, bonemeal or other feeds and among wildlife from feeding on anthrax carcasses. Vultures have been reported to spread the organism from one area to another. Accidental infections may occur among laboratory workers. In 1979, an outbreak of largely pulmonary anthrax occurred in Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, in which 66 individuals were documented to have died of anthrax and 11 infected persons were known to have survived and many other cases are presumed to have occurred. Investigations disclosed that the cases occurred as the result of a plume emanating from a biological research Institute and lead to the conclusion that the outbreak had resulted from an accidental aerosol generated in work related to biological warfare studies. Identification an acute bacterial disease usually affecting the skin, but which may vary rarely involve the oropharynx, lower respiratory tract, mediastinum or intestinal tract. In cutaneous anthrax, itching of exposed skin surface occurs first, followed by a lesion that becomes papular, then vesicular, and in 2-6 days develops into a depressed black eschar. The eschar is usually surrounded by moderate to severe and very extensive edema, sometimes with small secondary vesicles. Pain is unusual and, if present, is due to edema or secondary infection. The head, forearms and hands are common sides of infection. The lesion has been confused with human orf (orf virus disease). Untreated infections may spread to regional lymph nodes into the bloodstream with an overwhelming septicemia. Involvement of the meninges can occur. Untreated cutaneous anthrax as a case fatality rate between 5 percent and 20 percent, but with effective antibiotic therapy, few deaths occur. The lesion evolves through typical local changes even after the initiation of antibiotic therapy. Initial symptoms of inhalation anthrax are mild and nonspecific, resembling a common URI; acute symptoms of respiratory distress, x-ray evidence of mediastinal widening, either in shock follow and 3-5 days, with death shortly thereafter. Intestinal anthrax is rare and more difficult to recognize, except that intends to occur in explosive outbreaks of the food poisoning type; abdominal distress is followed by fever, signs of septicemia and death in the typical case. An onopharyngeal form of primary disease has been described. Laboratory confirmation is required. Incubation period few hours of the seven days; most cases occur within 48 hours of exposure. Period of communicability transmission from person to person is very rare. Articles and soil contaminated with spores may remain infected for decades. Susceptibility and resistance uncertain; there is some evidence of inapparent infection among people in frequent contact with the infectious agent; second tax can occur but reports are rare. Control of patients, contacts and the immediate environment: 1) report to local health authority: 2) Isolation: drainage/secretion precautions or duration of illness for cutaneous and inhalation anthrax. Antibiotic therapy sterilizes the lesion within 24 hours but the lesion progresses through its typical cycle of ulceration, sloughing and resolution. 3) Concurrent disenfection: of discharges from lesions and articles soil therewith. Hypochlorite is sporicidal and good when organic matter is not overwhelming and the item is not corrodable; hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, gultaraldehyde may be alternatives; formaldehyde, ethylene oxide and Cobalt irradiation have been used. Spores require steam sterilization, autoclaving or burning to ensure complete destruction. Fumigation and chemical disinfection may be used for viable equipment. Thermal cleaning. 4) Quarantine: none. 5) Immunization of contacts: none. 6) specific treatment: penicillin is the drug choice and is given for 5-7 days. Tetracyclines, erythromycin or chloramphenicol is also effective. Epidemic measures: outbreaks may be an occupational hazard of animal husbandry. The occasional epidemic in the USA are local industrial outbreaks among employees who work with animal products, especially goat hair. Outbreaks related to the handling and consumption of meet from infected cattle have occurred in Asia, Africa and the former Soviet Union. Infectious agent The anthrax agent is an encapsulated spore forming, nonmotile rod. 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