Pathogenic Bacterium Specified as Bacillus Anthracis (Research Paper Sample)

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Pathogenic Bacterium
Pathogenic bacteria continue to increase in the world today leading to a wide range of diseases. Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that affects most of the herbivores that consequently transmit to humans in different ways (Spencer 182).
History
Anthrax is believed to have emanated from Mesopotamia and Egypt as people hold that Moses may have used anthrax as part of the plagues. Also, ancient Rome and Greece had anthrax in 1230 BC as shown in most of the writings with some suggesting that it led to the fall of Rome (Riedel 234). Anthrax was also one of the biological warfare that was proposed to have caused several deaths in 1979 in the Soviet Union (Spencer 182).
The Bacterium
The bacterium responsible for anthrax is referred to as Bacillus anthracis (Spencer 183). The bacterium is aerobic with spore-bearing bacillus. It is gram positive considered the only obligate pathogen in the bacillus genus (Spencer 183).
Mode of Transmission
The vectors that can transmit anthrax with flies being the most transmitters recorded. Also, humans are prone to infection after contact with contaminated animal products or infected animals including their hides and skin (Spencer 183). However, research has indicated that humans have a moderate resistance to anthrax. Additionally, inhalation or direct contact with the spores can lead to anthrax transmission (Riedel 235).
Pathogenesis
Bacillus anthracis contains plasmids pX01 and pX02 responsible for its virulence. These plasmids must be both present for virulence (Spencer 183). As such, lack of one leads to an attenuated form. The infection occurs when a spore enters the mucosa or breaks through the skin. The spores use up the macrophages at entry points leading to formation of the vegetative form. Consequently, extracellular proliferation occurs leading to the generation of the toxins and capsule (Riedel 234). The toxin incubates for 1-20 days although the infection can be noticed within 3-7 days of contracting anthrax. The vegetative form of bacterium spreads through the lymph and blood leading to severe septicaemia as more exotoxins are released (Spencer 183).
Symptoms
The symptoms of the disease vary depending on the species affected and route of exposure (Riedel 239). Three forms of anthrax have been reported in humans including cutaneous, pulmonary and gastrointestinal anthrax. The most common are cutaneous accounting for over 90% of the reported cases in humans (Spencer 183).
The clinical signs of cutaneous anthrax encompass ulcers with extensive swelling that later develops into a black slab (Spencer 183). In the case of gastrointestinal anthrax, vomiting blood, bloody diarrhea and anorexia are important indicators (Spencer 184). Lastly, inhalation anthrax presents with malaise, fever, shortness of breath, headache and acute chest pains that lead to shock (Spencer 184).
Diagnosis
Microbiological laboratories use the Gram staining procedure on blood smears, skin lesions or cerebrospinal fluid to establish encapsulated large bacilli that are Gram-positive. Buffy co