A (short) History of Anthrax

1250 BC (ancient origins) Thought to have originated in Egypt and Mesopotamia Scientists and historians believe that Anthrax was once called “The Fifth Plague” Scholars of the Ancient Greek/Roman times believe that Anthrax was depicted in Homers Iliad from 1230 BC Some believe that Anthrax contributed to the fall of Rome

1700’s First clinical depictions of Anthrax (mid 1700’s)

1877 Robert Koch uses bacillus anthracis to make his “Koch postulates”, in doing so he discovered what the bacterium did and how to operated/lived.

1800’s Also known as the “wool sorters disease” Scientists discovered that the bacteria had a rod-like shape to it

1881 Louis Pasteur creates the first vaccine for the illness we now know as Anthrax

1900’s Earliest “local” and international cases were documented in the United States, Britain, and Germany

1937 A vaccine for Anthrax in animals was created, which helped reduce the abundance of Anthrax in humans. Humans usually got Anthrax from animals, so if the source of the illness was stopped, they assumed that the results would soon stop too

1979 Outbreak in the USSR – People thought that Anthrax was coming from the livestock – Some people didn’t agree and realized that the microbiological facility (belonging to the military) was approximately 2.5 miles from all of the cases of Anthrax – Western scientists and doctors proved that the Anthrax from within the facility had been leaked to the public

2006 Drum maker from New York got sick in Pennsylvania while on tour The drum maker had just returned from Africa (he got animal skins for his drums) He did not use chemicals to clean the skins of the animals He had breathing problems, and therefore was hospitalized He was diagnosed with inhalational Anthrax

2010 Small outbreak of Anthrax in the United Kingdom and Germany All patients were unlawful drug users (heroin) A new form of Anthrax was discovered (injection Anthrax) Doctors believe that there was somehow Anthrax in the heroin

2011 Dan Anders was a retired Florida man who took his wife on a vacation across the country for 3 weeks. The couple visited Wyoming, Montana and the Dakota’s when Dan got sick in Minnesota. He went to the hospital and the doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia. A doctor who had known some information about Anthrax, didn’t believe that the diagnosis was correct. More tests were performed and Anthrax bacteria was found in Ander’s blood. He received immediate treatment and spent 3 weeks in the hospital. Dan Anders fully recovered and went home a healthy man

Picture Sources anthrax/ anthrax/