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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Bioterrorism
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Use of biological agents (microbes) to cause damage, death and or fear
-Effect is to cause mass hysteria and a frightened and confused population -Potential targets = food and water supply and distribution systems |
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What are the top four bioterrorist disease
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1) Bacillus anthracis
2) Smallpox 3) Yersinia pestis 4) Botulism toxin |
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Describe bacillus anthracis
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-Gram positve spore forming rod
-Causes anthrax -Spores are the infective form for humans and animals -Tree forms of the disease caused by anthrax bacilli: 1) Cutaneous 2) Gastrointestinal 3) Inhalation (Most deadly is inhalation) |
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What is the ID50 of B. anthracis?
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Unknown
-But at least 2000 spores need to be inhaled in fine droplets -To be inhaled into the lung, the spores must remain airborne, and in a fine suspension so that the spores bypass the defences of the upper airway |
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What is cutaneous anthrax?
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-Least serious form of anthrax
-Results when spores enter cuts or wounds and germinate in the tissue -Characterized by a black-centered lesion called an eschar -Bacteria produce two toxins which result in formation of anthrax lesion -Death rate in untreated cutaenous antrhax is less than 20 percent. -Responds well to early antibiotic treatment |
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What is inhalation anthrax?
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-Most serious form of idsease
-Spores inhaled into lungs and ingested by alveolar macrophages -Macrophages carry the spores to lymph nodes and spores germinated into actively dividing bacteria in the lungs and lymph nodes and begin to produce the two toxins |
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What are the symptoms of inhalation anthrax?
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-Early symptoms:
-Non specific and resemble the symptoms of influenza (headaches, muscle aches, malaise) Secondary Stage -Difficulty breathing -Neurological problems -Progress to death |
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How do we treat inhalation anthrax?
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-Antibiotic treatment can be effective if antibiotics are administered before the secondary stage of the disease
-This is because anthrax is a toxin-mediated disease and killing the bacteria does not eliminate the toxins -In the secondary stage of the disease, there are high levels of the anthrax toxin circulating the patient |
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What is Gastroinestinal anthrax?
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It is a form of anthrax that results when food (raw or poorly cooked contaminated meat) contaiminated with B. anthracis spores is consumed
-Symptoms are vague |
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What toxins do Bacillus antracis produce?
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1) Edema toxin
2) Lethal Toxin |
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Edema toxin
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Results in inflammation and swelling seen in the infected site
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Lethal Toxin
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In cutaneous anthrax, lethal toxin is responsible for producing the necrotic black centered lesion.
-In inhalation anthrax, disseminated lethal toxin results in shock and death |
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Is there a vaccine avaliable for anthrax?
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-Yes, but there is a limited supply of the vaccine and several immunizations are required to develop immunity to B. anthracis
-Actual effectiveness of vaccine to induce immunity is also uncertain |
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What is weaponized anthrax?
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-Originally meant that bioloigcal agent could be encased in a missile and delivered to its target wihtout exposing the perpetrator
-Its current use has to come to mean that spores have been dried, mixed with some powder and ground to produce smaller spore coated particles |
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B. anthracis is not that infectious to humans why is it still a preferred agent?
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-Spores are stable structures that can be stored in the dried form for years
-Initiat symptoms of inhalation anthrax are non specific and disease is difficult for doctors to diagnose -Since treatment with anitbiotics in the secondary stage of inhalation anthrax is not always successful, some fatalities will result |