2. Hello, I’m Dr. Wilde. I’m here as a part of a research group assigned to monitor the outbreak of anthrax in
wild animals, particularly lions.
3. A lion can be infected with anthrax by inhaling spores, but most obtain the disease by eating infected
meat or drinking contaminated water. Inhaling spores is not likely because concentrations of the
bacteria’s spores in air are low and attacked to dirt particles, which are too large to infect lungs
Nambeye, Piontkowski, Ndiva, Turnbull
4. Many symptoms have been observed in a variety of animals. Some of these include
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trembling…
7. Anthrax is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. This bacterium comes from soil and is a gram-positive,
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non-motile, aerobic bacterium. Bacillus anthracis can also form capsules, which make it
difficult for the immune system to destroy them. The bacteria multiply within the host and produce
deadly toxins. Anthrax has also been called the black plague or black death.
8. Apparently, some lions have developed an immunity to anthrax due to exposure, but it is important to track
down sources of infection to prevent future breakouts. The bacteria can be detected using PCR and Bacillus
cereus agar, which is a selective agar to isolate Bacillus cereus. This can be used to detect Bacillus anthracis
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because the two are closely related, but Bacillus cereus appears blue on the agar.
9. Ndiva (Oct)
More outbreaks can be prevented by monitoring and vaccinating animals, controlling
the movement of animals, and treating susceptible animals to prevent disease.
