ANTHRAX IN ENGLISH

                                                   

                                            ANTHRAX IN ENGLISH

                          watch my youtube video to understand this topic in easy way-

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpLIsSfqj7I

ANTHRAX

Ø  Anthrax is an acute bacterial disease that mainly affects the skin, but it may  involve the oropharynx, mediastinum or intestinal tract.

CAUSATIVE AGENT

Ø  Anthrax is caused by a a Gram-positive, encapsulated, spore forming, nonmotile rod  shaped bacteria –

Ø  bacillus anthracis.

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

Ø  Person-to-person transmission is rare.

Ø  Anthrax is mainly a disease of herbivores; humans and carnivores are incidental hosts. it is an occupational hazard primarily of workers who handle bone and bone products and wool, agriculture and wildlife workers who handle infected animals (close contact).

Ø  Animals shed the bacilli in terminal hemorrhages or blood at death. On exposure to the air, vegetative cells produces spores, which remain viable in contaminated soil for years. Dormant anthrax spores may be passively redistributed in the soil and adjacent vegetation through the action of water, wind and other environmental forces

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS-

Ø  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.

Ø  Moderate to severe and very extensive oedema is also seen that usually surrounds the eschar.

Ø  Pain is unusual and, if present, is due to oedema or secondary infection.

Ø  Obstructive airway disease due to associated oedema may complicate cutaneous anthrax of the face or neck

Ø  Untreated infections may spread to regional lymph nodes and the bloodstream with overwhelming septicaemia

Ø  The meninges can become involved leading to meningitis like sign and symptoms.

Ø  Untreated cutaneous anthrax has a case-fatality rate between 5% and 20%;

Ø  Initial symptoms of inhalation anthrax are mild and nonspecific and may include fever, malaise and mild cough or chest pain; acute symptoms of respiratory distress and death.

Ø  Intestinal anthrax is rare and present with abdominal distress , followed by fever, signs of septicaemia and death in typical cases.

 

DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATIONS

Ø  Laboratory confirmation is done through demonstration of the causative organism in blood, lesions or discharges by direct polychrome methylene blue stained smears or by culture.

TREATMENT

Ø  The standard treatment for anthrax is an antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin, doxycycline  or levofloxacin. The length of treatment  depends on how the patient was infected with anthrax,  age and overall health status.

Ø  Some cases of anthrax are treated with surgical removal of infected tissue.

PREVENTION

Ø  Provide health education to employees who handle potentially contaminated articles about modes of anthrax transmission, care of skin abrasions and personal cleanliness.

Ø  Control dust and properly ventilate work areas in hazardous industries, especially those handling raw animal materials.

Ø  Maintain continuing medical supervision of employees and provide prompt medical care of all suspicious skin lesions.

Ø  Workers must wear protective clothing; adequate facilities for washing and changing clothes after work must be provided.

Ø  Vaporized formaldehyde has been used for disinfection of workplaces contaminated with B. anthracis.

Ø  Thoroughly wash, disinfect or sterilize hair, wool and bone, meal or other feed of animal origin prior to processing.

Ø  If anthrax infected animal dies, the preferred disposal technique is incineration at the site of death or removal to a rendering plant, ensuring that no contamination occurs en route to the plant Because anthrax spores may survive for years if the carcases are buried.

Ø  Inform animal handlers that they should immunize and annually reimmunize all domestic animals at risk. Treat symptomatic animals with penicillin or tetracyclines; immunize them after cessation of treatment. These animals should not be used for food until a few months have passed.