Emergency Preparedness and Response
Course Question
Causative agent of anthrax - ✔✔Bacillus anthracis
Different types of exposure to anthrax - ✔✔integumentary system (most common): direct skin
contact with spores; in nature, contact with infected animals or animal products.
respiratory tract: inhalation
gastrointestinal system: eating undercooked or raw infected dairy products
oropharyngeal
Can someone exposed to anthrax spread the infection? - ✔✔No
How soon can S/S of anthrax appear? - ✔✔S/S can appear within 7 days of coing in contact with
the bacteria for all types of anthrax.
S/S of anthrax - ✔✔skin: localized itching followed by papular lesions that turns vesicular;
becomes black eschar after 7 to 10 days.
inhalation: initially low-grade fever, cough, malaise, fatigue, myalgias, sweating, and chest
discomfort but progressing to high fever, respiratory distress, shock and death within 24 to 36
hours.
Treatment for anthrax - ✔✔decontamination & antibiotics
, Anthrax decontamination - ✔✔1. Remove clothing without pulling anything over the head.
2. Decontaminate in area outside of treatment area with soap and water.
3. Flush eyes for 15 min.
Antibiotics for anthrax - ✔✔1. Drug of choice: ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (Cipro)
2. penicillin G procaine (Wycillin)
3. doxycycline (Vibramycin)
**do not use extended-spectrum cephalosporins or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole due to
resistance of anthrax to these drugs**
Is there a vaccine for anthrax - ✔✔Yes, but it is not available to the general public.
Causative agent of plague - ✔✔Yersinia pestis
Yersinia pestis - ✔✔1. Is a zoonotic infection carried on rodents and their fleas.
2. Is destroyed by sunlight and dryness. The bacteria can survive for 1 hour.
Can someone with the plague spread it? - ✔✔Yes
Disease states of the plague - ✔✔1. bubonic plague
2. pneumonic plague
Course Question
Causative agent of anthrax - ✔✔Bacillus anthracis
Different types of exposure to anthrax - ✔✔integumentary system (most common): direct skin
contact with spores; in nature, contact with infected animals or animal products.
respiratory tract: inhalation
gastrointestinal system: eating undercooked or raw infected dairy products
oropharyngeal
Can someone exposed to anthrax spread the infection? - ✔✔No
How soon can S/S of anthrax appear? - ✔✔S/S can appear within 7 days of coing in contact with
the bacteria for all types of anthrax.
S/S of anthrax - ✔✔skin: localized itching followed by papular lesions that turns vesicular;
becomes black eschar after 7 to 10 days.
inhalation: initially low-grade fever, cough, malaise, fatigue, myalgias, sweating, and chest
discomfort but progressing to high fever, respiratory distress, shock and death within 24 to 36
hours.
Treatment for anthrax - ✔✔decontamination & antibiotics
, Anthrax decontamination - ✔✔1. Remove clothing without pulling anything over the head.
2. Decontaminate in area outside of treatment area with soap and water.
3. Flush eyes for 15 min.
Antibiotics for anthrax - ✔✔1. Drug of choice: ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (Cipro)
2. penicillin G procaine (Wycillin)
3. doxycycline (Vibramycin)
**do not use extended-spectrum cephalosporins or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole due to
resistance of anthrax to these drugs**
Is there a vaccine for anthrax - ✔✔Yes, but it is not available to the general public.
Causative agent of plague - ✔✔Yersinia pestis
Yersinia pestis - ✔✔1. Is a zoonotic infection carried on rodents and their fleas.
2. Is destroyed by sunlight and dryness. The bacteria can survive for 1 hour.
Can someone with the plague spread it? - ✔✔Yes
Disease states of the plague - ✔✔1. bubonic plague
2. pneumonic plague
