NCJ Number
192807
Journal
Nature Volume: 414 Dated: November 8, 2001 Pages: 160-161
Date Published
November 2001
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article provides details on the search for more effective anti-toxin treatments for anthrax.
Abstract
The article examines three ways to deal with anthrax: vaccination to prevent bacterial infection in the first place; antibiotics to attack infection if it occurs; and anti-toxin treatments for the bacterium's toxic effects. The toxins (known as "lethal" and "oedema"), along with the capsule that surrounds the bacterium, are the main components that enable anthrax to cause harm. However, the manifestations of anthrax infection are not solely due to the effects of the toxins. Rather, the bacterium invades and grows to high concentrations in the host; the toxins act mainly by damaging defensive cells called phagocytes, causing the host's immune system to malfunction. The article considers lethal toxin by itself not particularly potent, requiring milligram quantities to cause death. Non-toxin components not yet identified may contribute to virulence. So, antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment, and anti-toxins an essential "adjunctive" therapy. Notes