Bacillus Anthracis


Robert Koch discovered Bacillus Anthracis, the bacterium for the deadly disease, Anthrax, in 1877. Robert Koch grew the bacterium into a pure culture, demonstrated its ability to form endospores, and produced experimental Anthrax by injecting it into animals. Bacillus Anthracis was the first bacterium shown to be the cause of a disease. Bacillus Anthracis is a very large, gram positive sporeforming rod. The organism is cultivated on ordinary nutrient medium and grows best aerobically, but can also multiply under anaerobic conditions. The disease, Anthrax, is very deadly but it is rare. The risk of infection is 1/100,000. The disease is acquired when spores from a contaminated animal carcass inoculate an open wound. Then, the spores germinate and invade the blood stream, leading to death within 48 hours. Bacillus Anthracis is classified as a harmful, pathogenic bacterium. There is a vaccine for Anthrax in humans, but it produces no significant immunity. The......

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Title: Bacillus Anthracis
Approximate Word Count: 316
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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