Anthrax

Anthrax
Classification and external resources
Photomicrograph of a Gram stain of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, the cause of the anthrax disease
ICD-10	A22.minor
ICD-9	022
DiseasesDB	1203
MedlinePlus	001325
eMedicine	med/148
MeSH	D000881

Anthrax, or splenic fever, is a disease. Both humans and other animals can get it. It is caused by the bacterium bacillus anthracis. It is common with even-toed ungulates (some hoofed creatures, like camels and giraffes). The spores of the bacteria can live for hundreds of years. Humans usually catch the disease from animals. It is usually not passed from one human to another. Anthrax can be treated with antibiotics. There is also a vaccine against it. If not treated, anthrax often leads to death.