Anthrax

Question 1

Definiation

Answer 1

Sporadic disease, peracute, acute, subacute or fatal infectious, soil borne, disease of mammals including humans.

Question 2

Chracterized by:

Answer 2

• characterized by septicemia and sudden or rapid death, with exudation of tarry blood from the body orifices, failure of blood to clot, absence of rigor mortis and splenomegaly.
• Spore forming, highly resistance

Question 3

Eitology:

Answer 3

Bacillus anthracis large Gram positive rod.

Question 4

Transmission:

Answer 4

Insect and ingestion

Question 5

Susceptible host:

Answer 5

1. Sheep
   cattle, goats, buffalo, camels, horses, pigs + zoonotic

Question 6

Pathogenesis

Answer 6

1. Cutaneous form
2. Respiratory\ lung form

Question 7

Pathogenesis

Answer 7

The bacteria enter through a wounded skin as spores. Once inside, they germinate, start multiplying, and produce toxins, which cause the disease.

Question 8

Toxins production:

Answer 8

1. Local edema: increases capillary permeability, vasodilation
2. Protective factor
3. Lethal factor

Question 9

Clinical signs:

Answer 9

• The clinical signs depend on the route of entry of the bacteria.
• The respiratory form can be peracute.

Question 10

Clinical signs

Answer 10

• muscle tremors, dyspnea, and collapse and convulsions, anemia , lactation. Bloating, depression, fever
• specific clinical sign = Hemorrhage

Question 11

Postmortem lesion:

Answer 11

You should not open an animal suspected of having anthrax, because if the bacteria are exposed to air, they form spores, which are the infectious particles of the disease.

Question 12

Postmortem:

Answer 12

• blood in heart and organ (tarry blood), spleen enlarged and bloody

Question 13

Tarry blood:

Answer 13

is dark, sticky blood that is not clotted

Question 14

Diagnosis

Answer 14

Field diagnosis: the animal should not be opened. Instead, a swab is taken from ear and examined for Gram-positive rod bacteria.
Laboratory diagnosis: PCR, It is cultured on blood agar and examined.

Question 15

Differential diagnosis:

Answer 15

1. Warfarin toxicity, Mycotoxins.
2. Clostridial infections, Hemorrhagic Septicemia, Lead poisoning and acute bloat.
3. In horse: acute Infectious Anemia, babesia.

Question 16

Prognosis

Answer 16

High fatality , bad prognosis

Question 17

Treatment

Answer 17

• antibiotic: Penicillin with Streptomycin
• anthrax antiserum