
During World War II, the British army bombarded the small Scottish island of Gruinard with anthrax spores as part of a biological weapons experiment, to test the effectiveness of such attacks in warfare. The accidental release of spores from a Russian laboratory at Sverdlovsk researching biological warfare killed 60 to 100 residents. Intentional dissemination of spores has been used by warring nations as a form of biological warfare for centuries. Human infections from animals are uncommon and primarily restricted to contact with contaminated wool and hides. Cases of naturally occurring anthrax are reported every year in Canada.Īnthrax is a zoonotic disease and can be transmitted to humans. When animals graze range where spores are present, spores are ingested and transformed into rapidly multiplying bacteria that produce deadly toxins. For example, floods move spores, drying of wet areas exposes spores to grazing livestock, disruption of the soil by excavation will redistribute spores. They are brought to the surface when environmental conditions are right. Spores are very buoyant and shift with natural water flows.

Alberta Farmer Express: For the first time in generations, bison have returned to traditional lands Some scientists suggest herds of prairie bison played a role in seeding large areas of range with highly resistant spores. Spores survive in soil through extremes in temperature and moisture for decades. When an animal dies of anthrax, highly resistant spores are formed by bacteria when discharged from the animal or exposed to oxygen if the carcass is opened.

Each time anthrax hits the news, the veterinary community goes through a list of questions, resembling the catalogue of inquiry scientists used when describing anthrax as a clinical entity in the 1700s. Today we continue to write about anthrax, partially because the soil-borne pathogen continues to surface as a livestock killer, mostly in small outbreaks, but makes remarkable news when discussed in the context of biological warfare and bombs full of spores. The recent holiday season brought the best possible gift to many U.S.
