ANSC 312 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Adenylyl Cyclase, Lipopolysaccharide, Endosome
Document Summary
Derived from greek meaning coal, because it causes dark blisters on skin. Caused by a bacteria bacillus anthracis, gram-positive, rod-shaped spore forming bacteria. No polysaccharides, only poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid and it is capsulated when there is elevated co2 conditions. That is essential to trigger an immune response. The toxins are lethal, but the organism is not invasive. Spores are produced in contact with oxygen, these are very resistant to different conditions in the environment. Spores can survive a very long time if they are in the right conditions. Usually animals ingest the spores through the environment such as grazing animals. Animal workers are more prone to the disease and it will cause a gastrointestinal infection or it will infect people through breathing of airborne spores. Not usually transmitted between humans, and it is only transmitted between animals when carnivores eat the carcass of dead animals containing spores. Blood feeding insects can also spread the disease through bites.