Bacillus_Anthracis

Bacillus Anthracis The bacteria Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of Anthrax, is a large, gram positive, sporulating rod. Approximately 2-6 µm in length, this bacterium can be cultivated in ordinary nutrient medium under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. More commonly recognized by the name Anthrax, this bacterial pathogen is primarily a disease of domesticated and wild animals, particularly herbivorous animals, such as cattle, sheep, horses, mules, and goats. Humans become infected incidentally when brought into contact with diseased animals, which includes their flesh, bones, hides, hair and excrement. Recent bio-terrorism events in history dictate the necessity for a complete understanding of Anthrax and its infectious abilities. Unfortunately, the road to such discovery is long and arduous. The virulence of Anthrax depends on two factors: the bacterial capsule and the toxin complex. All virulent strains of B. anthracis form a single antigenic type of capsule consisting of a poly-D-glutamate polypeptide. The unusual poly-D-glutamyl acid capsule is itself nontoxic, but functions to protect the organism against the bactericidal components of serum and phagocytes and against phagocytic engulfment. Capsule production depends on a 60-megadalton plasmid, pX02; its transfer to nonencapsulated B. anthracis via transduction produces the encapsulated anthrax, anthracis, toxin, lethal, macrophages, factor, production, showed, letx, effects, protein, protective, macrophage, kif1c, edema, disease, cells, capsule, been, antigen, strains, rois, resistant, murine, levels, form, cytolytic, animals, susceptibility, site, oxygen, oxidative, one, mediated, involved