96. Anthrax (diagnosis, treatment, prevention, control, zoon.).

Question 1

Diagnosis?

Answer 1

Diagnosis

• Epidemiology
• clinical signs
• pathological lesions
• Laboratory diagnostics:
• Detection of the agent: microscopy (easiest way, metachromatic staining ʹ blue bacteria with pink capsule),
• culture,
• mouse test (mice are susceptible, will die w/in 24/48h after injection),
• Ascoli test (not widely used, based on detection of cell wall Ags),
• IF,
• PCR (for confirmation)
• (Detection of the Abs) ʹ not helpful for diagnostic work (it is an acute disease there is no time for production of the Abs ʹ but can use for vaccine)

Question 2

Differential diagnosis?

Answer 2

Differential diagnosis

• (Generally Anthrax happens suddenly so all sudden diseases have to be eliminated from dif diagnosis list, below = generalised diseases with high fever)
• Toxicosis, heatshock

Ruminants:

1. pasteurellosis,
2. gas gangrene diseases,
3. bacillary haemoglobinuria,
4. leptospirosis,
5. anaplasmosis

Horse:

1. pyosepticaemia,
2. granulocytic ehrlichiosis,
3. equine infectious arteritis,
4. infectious anaemia

Swine:

1. swine fever,
2. African swine fever,
3. malignant oedema

Dog:

1. leptospirosis,
2. ehrlichiosis,
3. haemobartonellosis,
4. parvovirus enteritis,
5. infectious canine hepatitis

Question 3

Prevention and control?

Answer 3

Prevention, control

• Movement restriction,
• isolation of diseased animals,
• treatment, CLOSE if any positive!
• Vaccination of healthy animals
• live vaccine (Sterne-strain: uncapsulated ʹ spore suspension, naturally attenuated):
• gives protection for 1 season
• Daily observation (non-febrile animals have to be vaccinated immediately & be examined for the next few days to see if they remain non-febrile)
• Pastures (change agriculture or grazing by vaccinated animals) ʹ pasture will be infected for several decades (use as forest or industrial agricultural products)
• Disposal of carcasses, manure, bedding (burning)

Question 4

Public health importance?

Answer 4

Public health importance

• Clinical forms of anthrax in humans
• Cutaneous anthrax (infected animal, meat processing, become common in drug users with poor hygienic
• conditions) ʹ most frequent (people working with infected animals)
• Skin of drum made from skin of African animal
• Bleeding lesions
• Pulmonary anthrax (wool sorters disease ʹ aerogenic infection)
• GI anthrax (gut, oropharyngeal) ʹ eat infected meat & heat treatment not properly done
• Sepsis
• Occupational disease (cutaneous and pulmonary anthrax)
• Prevention (wearing gloves/special masks)
• Biologic warfare agent (Swerdlowsk, 1979, 105 (?) death cases)
• Terrorism (1993 Aum Shinrikyo, 2001 USA) ʹ Used the wrong strain (Sterne strain), so nobody killed
• Vaccination of humans is difficult (not a widespread vaccine ʹ not as effective, and SE if use live vaccines)