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 infection can occur in three forms: cutaneous (skin), inhalation, and gastrointestinal. B. anthracis spores can live in the soil for many years, and humans can become infected with anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. Anthrax can also be spread by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. It is rare to find infected animals in the United States.

Symptoms of disease vary depending on how the disease was contracted, but symptoms usually occur with

military personnel who might be involved in conflict.

The thought of biological war is terifying. The recent twin towers disaster in New York shows us that mass intentional killing by terrorists is not an imaginary scenario. Biological warfare, like chemical and toxicologic weapons, is one of the methods used to incapacitate a large population. The enormity of the problem, including the potential for mass exposure and the subsequent costs, social disorder, and calamity, make biological weapons a desired instrument for rebels, terrorists, and criminals, to be used both in actual attacks and as hoaxes. Biological defense is a logistical and medical challenge, raising some difficult questions concerning mass antibiotic therapy.

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