Anthrax historical perspective: Difference between revisions
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There are 89 known [[strain (biology)|strains]] of anthrax, the most widely recognized being the virulent [[Ames strain|Ames]] [[Strain (biology)|strain]] used in the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. The Ames strain is extremely dangerous, though not quite as virulent as the Vollum strain which was successfully developed as a biological weapon during the Second World War, but never used. The ''Vollum'' (also incorrectly referred to as ''Vellum'') strain was isolated in 1935 from a cow in Oxfordshire, [[United Kingdom|UK]]. This is the same strain that was used during the Gruinard bioweapons trials. A variation of Vollum known as "Vollum 1B" was used during the 1960s in the US and UK bioweapon programs. Vollum 1B was isolated from William A. Boyles, a 46 year old USAMRIID scientist who died in 1951 after being accidentally infected with the Vollum strain. The ''Sterne'' strain, named after a South African researcher, is an attenuated strain used as a vaccine. | There are 89 known [[strain (biology)|strains]] of anthrax, the most widely recognized being the virulent [[Ames strain|Ames]] [[Strain (biology)|strain]] used in the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. The Ames strain is extremely dangerous, though not quite as virulent as the Vollum strain which was successfully developed as a biological weapon during the Second World War, but never used. The ''Vollum'' (also incorrectly referred to as ''Vellum'') strain was isolated in 1935 from a cow in Oxfordshire, [[United Kingdom|UK]]. This is the same strain that was used during the Gruinard bioweapons trials. A variation of Vollum known as "Vollum 1B" was used during the 1960s in the US and UK bioweapon programs. Vollum 1B was isolated from William A. Boyles, a 46 year old USAMRIID scientist who died in 1951 after being accidentally infected with the Vollum strain. The ''Sterne'' strain, named after a South African researcher, is an attenuated strain used as a vaccine. | ||
== History == | |||
===Discovery=== | |||
[[Robert Koch]], a German physician and scientist, first identified the bacteria which caused the anthrax disease in 1877.<ref name=Brock>{{cite book | author = Madigan M; Martinko J (editors). | title = Brock Biology of Microorganisms | edition = 11th ed. |publisher = Prentice Hall | year = 2005 | id = ISBN 0-13-144329-1 }}</ref> His pioneering work in the late nineteenth century was one of the first demonstrations that diseases could be caused by microbes. In a groundbreaking series of experiments he uncovered the life cycle and means of transmission of anthrax. His experiments not only helped create an understanding of anthrax, but also helped elucidate the role of microbes in causing illness at a time when debates were still held over spontaneous generation versus [[cell theory]]. Koch went on to study the mechanisms of other diseases and was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the bacteria causing tuberculosis. Koch is today recognized as one of history's most important biologists and a founder of modern bacteriology. | |||
=== First vaccination=== | |||
In May 1881, [[Louis Pasteur]] performed a public experiment to demonstrate his concept of vaccination. He prepared two groups of 25 sheep, one goat and several cows. The animals of one group were all injected with a self-prepared anti-anthrax [[vaccine]] twice, with an interval of 15 days. The animals of the other group were left unvaccinated. Thirty days after the first injection, both groups were injected with a culture of live anthrax [[bacterium|bacteria]]. All the animals in the non-vaccinated group died, whilst all of the animals in the vaccinated group survived.<ref>Decker, Janet. ''Deadly Diseases and Epidemics, Anthrax.'' Chelesa House Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-7910-7302-5 p 27–28.</ref> | |||
After mastering his method of vaccination, Pasteur applied this concept to [[rabies]]. He went on to develop vaccines against [[small pox]], [[cholera]], and [[swine erysipelas]]. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist|2}} | {{reflist|2}} | ||
Revision as of 15:31, 24 January 2012
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
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Anthrax is one of the oldest recorded diseases of grazing animals such as sheep and cattle and is believed to be the Sixth Plague mentioned in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Anthrax is also mentioned by Greek and Roman authors such as Homer (in The Iliad), Virgil(Georgics), and Hippocrates. Anthrax can also infect humans, usually as the result of coming into contact with infected animal hides, fur, wool, leather or contaminated soil. Anthrax ("siberian ulcer" [1]) is now fairly rare (a few to no cases per year in the developed world) in humans although it still occasionally occurs in ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, camels, wild buffalo, and antelopes.
Bacillus anthracis bacteria spores are soil-borne and because of their long lifetime they are still present globally and at animal burial sites of anthrax killed animals for many decades. Before the last century anthrax infections were a source of many thousands of dead animals and thousands of people dying each year in Europe, Asia and North America. [2] French scientist Louis Pasteur developed the first effective vaccine for anthrax in 1881. [3] Thanks to over a century of animal vaccination programs, sterilization of raw animal waste materials and anthrax eradication programs in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Europe and parts of Africa and Asia anthrax infection is now rare in domestic animals with normally only a few dozen cases reported every year. Anthrax is even rarer in dogs and cats where there is only one documented case in the USA in the last 15 years.[2] Anthrax outbreaks do occur in a few wild animal populations with some regularity. [4] The disease is more common in developing countries without widespread veterinary or human public health programs.
There are 89 known strains of anthrax, the most widely recognized being the virulent Ames strain used in the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. The Ames strain is extremely dangerous, though not quite as virulent as the Vollum strain which was successfully developed as a biological weapon during the Second World War, but never used. The Vollum (also incorrectly referred to as Vellum) strain was isolated in 1935 from a cow in Oxfordshire, UK. This is the same strain that was used during the Gruinard bioweapons trials. A variation of Vollum known as "Vollum 1B" was used during the 1960s in the US and UK bioweapon programs. Vollum 1B was isolated from William A. Boyles, a 46 year old USAMRIID scientist who died in 1951 after being accidentally infected with the Vollum strain. The Sterne strain, named after a South African researcher, is an attenuated strain used as a vaccine.
History
Discovery
Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, first identified the bacteria which caused the anthrax disease in 1877.[3] His pioneering work in the late nineteenth century was one of the first demonstrations that diseases could be caused by microbes. In a groundbreaking series of experiments he uncovered the life cycle and means of transmission of anthrax. His experiments not only helped create an understanding of anthrax, but also helped elucidate the role of microbes in causing illness at a time when debates were still held over spontaneous generation versus cell theory. Koch went on to study the mechanisms of other diseases and was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the bacteria causing tuberculosis. Koch is today recognized as one of history's most important biologists and a founder of modern bacteriology.
First vaccination
In May 1881, Louis Pasteur performed a public experiment to demonstrate his concept of vaccination. He prepared two groups of 25 sheep, one goat and several cows. The animals of one group were all injected with a self-prepared anti-anthrax vaccine twice, with an interval of 15 days. The animals of the other group were left unvaccinated. Thirty days after the first injection, both groups were injected with a culture of live anthrax bacteria. All the animals in the non-vaccinated group died, whilst all of the animals in the vaccinated group survived.[4]
After mastering his method of vaccination, Pasteur applied this concept to rabies. He went on to develop vaccines against small pox, cholera, and swine erysipelas.
References
- ↑ Jeanne Guillemin. Anthrax. The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak
- ↑ Can Dogs Get Anthrax? Canine Nation, 30 October 2001. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
- ↑ Madigan M; Martinko J (editors). (2005). Brock Biology of Microorganisms (11th ed. ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-144329-1.
- ↑ Decker, Janet. Deadly Diseases and Epidemics, Anthrax. Chelesa House Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-7910-7302-5 p 27–28.
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