What Is Anthrax?

William A. Bower; Katherine A. Hendricks; Antonio R. Vieira; Rita M. Traxler; Zachary Weiner; Ruth Lynfield; Alex Hoffmaster

doi:10.3390/pathogens11060690

journal article Open Access Jun 16, 2022

What Is Anthrax?

William A. Bower

Katherine A. Hendricks Antonio R. Vieira Rita M. Traxler

Zachary Weiner Ruth Lynfield Alex Hoffmaster

Pathogens Vol. 11 No. 6 pp. 690 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/pathogens11060690

Abstract

Anthrax has been feared for its high mortality in animals and humans for centuries. The etiologic agent is considered a potentially devastating bioweapon, and since 1876―when Robert Koch demonstrated that Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax―it has been considered the sole cause of the disease. Anthrax is, however, a toxin-mediated disease. The toxins edema toxin and lethal toxin are formed from protein components encoded for by the pXO1 virulence plasmid present in pathogenic B. anthracis strains. However, other members of the Bacillus cereus group, to which B. anthracis belongs, have recently been shown to harbor the pXO1 plasmid and produce anthrax toxins. Infection with these Bacillus cereus group organisms produces a disease clinically similar to anthrax. This suggests that anthrax should be defined by the exotoxins encoded for by the pXO1 plasmid rather than the bacterial species it has historically been associated with, and that the definition of anthrax should be expanded to include disease caused by any member of the B. cereus group containing the toxin-producing pXO1 plasmid or anthrax toxin genes specifically.

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Published: Jun 16, 2022
Vol/Issue: 11(6)
Pages: 690
License: View

Authors

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William A. Bower