People can ingest or inhale spores, which can make the anthrax active.
Not all will be sickened when exposed to anthrax. However, when left untreated, anthrax illness can turn very serious or lead to death.
A blood culture test is used to confirm anthrax exposure.
The symptoms of anthrax depend on the type of infection and can take anywhere from 1 day to more than 2 months to appear. All types of anthrax have the potential, if untreated, to spread throughout the body and cause severe illness and even death.
Cutaneous anthrax symptoms can include:
Inhalation anthrax symptoms can include:
Gastrointestinal anthrax symptoms can include:
Injection anthrax symptoms can include:
Anthrax entered the US national consciousness in 2001, when shortly after the 9/11 attacks, letters containing powdered anthrax arrived at news organizations and the offices of US senators. Twenty-two people were sickened and of those, five people died.
Sources: FBI Anthrax investigation; CDC, San Francisco Department of Public Health
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