Anthrax-tainted meat the source of Zimbabwe outbreak, 33 people affected

Anthrax-tainted cow meat consumed during the holiday season has been pinpointed as the source of an outbreak of the dangerous bacterial disease in Makoni District, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, according to a report published in the Zimbabwe news source, The Herald today.

Bacillus anthracis gram stain
Image/CDC

The report notes that 33 people were affected by the anthrax with six people requiring hospitalization for their illness. The other 27 patients were treated and released.

Related story: Anthrax In Animals: An Interview With Dr. Buddy Faries

Anthrax is a pathogen in livestock and wild animals. Some of the more common herbivores are cattle, sheep, goats, horses, camels and deers.

Anthrax is a very serious disease of livestock because it can potentially cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals in a very short time. Affected animals are often found dead with no illness detected.

It infects humans primarily through occupational or incidental exposure with infected animals of their skins.

Anthrax is caused by the bacterium, Bacillus anthracis. This spore forming bacteria can survive in the environment for years because of its ability to resist heat, cold, drying, etc. this is usually the infectious stage of anthrax.

When conditions become favorable, the spores germinate into colonies of bacteria. An example would be a grazing cow ingests spores that in the cow, germinate, grow spread and eventually kill the animal.

The bacteria will form spores in the carcass and then return to the soil to infect other animals. The vegetative form is rarely implicated in transmission.

There are no reports of person-to-person transmission of anthrax. People get anthrax by handling contaminated animal or animal products, consuming undercooked meat of infected animals and more recently, intentional release of spores.

There are three types of human anthrax with differing degrees of seriousness: cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalation.

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