Anthrax is a rapidly progressing acute infection caused by spore-forming bacteria called Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in warm-blooded animals, especially goats, cattle, and sheep, but it can also infect humans. Anthrax spores can be easily produced in a dry form for biological weapons. Spores can survive many years in adverse conditions and still remain capable of causing disease. When inhaled by humans, these spores cause respiratory failure that can lead to death within a week.

Anthrax can make an excellent weapon of mass destruction. The spores may be used as a weapon in a variety of delivery systems. They can be produced in large quantities without sophisticated equipment. All it takes is a single breath of aerosolized anthrax to inhale enough spores to cause the disease. Then, if serious symptoms occur, it kills 99% of unprotected people. Even if a person with symptoms receives antibiotics, the death rate is still about 50%. Anthrax spores are odorless, colorless, and tasteless.

• Fever (over 100 degrees F). The fever may be accompanied by chills or night sweats.
• Flu-like symptoms.
• Cough, usually a non-productive cough, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, sore throat followed by difficulty swallowing, enlarged lymph nodes, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal distress, vomiting or diarrhea.
• A sore, especially on the face, arms or hands, that starts as a raised bump and develops into a painless ulcer with a black area in the center.

1. Through a break in the skin (cutaneous anthrax). Most (about 95%) anthrax infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin, such as when handling contaminated wool, hides, leather, or hair products (especially goat hair) of infected animals. About 20% of untreated cases of cutaneous anthrax will result in death and less than 1% resulting in death with antibiotic treatment
2. By eating inadequately cooked contaminated meat (gastrointestinal anthrax). Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Intestinal anthrax results in death in about 25% to 60% of cases.
3. By breathing in bacteria or spores (inhalational anthrax). Inhalational anthrax does not typically spread from person to person. Inhalational anthrax is usually fatal. Although case-fatality estimates for inhalational anthrax are based on incomplete information, the rate is extremely high even with all possible supportive care including appropriate antibiotics.

A nasal swab involves placing a swab inside the nostrils and taking a culture. The CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services do not recommend the use of nasal swab testing by clinicians to determine whether a person has been exposed to Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria responsible for anthrax, or as a means of diagnosing anthrax. At best, a positive result may be interpreted only to indicate exposure; a negative result does not exclude the possibility of exposure. Also, the presence of spores in the nose does not mean that the person has inhalational anthrax. The nose naturally filters out many things that a person breathes, including bacterial spores. To have inhalational anthrax, a person must have the bacteria deep in the lungs, and also have symptoms of the disease.

Another reason not to use nasal swabs is that most hospital laboratories cannot fully identify anthrax spores from nasal swabs. They are only able to tell that bacteria that resemble anthrax bacteria are present.