Bacillus anthracis

Bacillus anthracis is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that causes anthrax in humans and other animals. Its durable spores enable persistence in soil and transmission to susceptible hosts.

Anthrax toxin: A three-protein toxin system produced by Bacillus anthracis that disrupts host-cell signaling and contributes to disease. Protective antigen delivers lethal factor and edema factor into host cells.
Anthrax vaccine: A vaccine that induces protection against anthrax, chiefly by targeting protective antigen. Vaccination can protect people at elevated risk of exposure to this bacterium.
Robert Koch: A German physician and microbiologist who established methods for linking specific microbes to specific diseases. His work on anthrax helped establish a rigorous microbial cause of disease.
Bacillus cereus: A species of Gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria that can cause food poisoning and other infections. It is a close relative that shares many traits but usually lacks the anthrax virulence plasmids.
Protective antigen: The binding and delivery component of anthrax toxin, which forms channels that move toxin enzymes into host cells. It enables the other anthrax toxin proteins to enter host cells.
Anthrax diagnosis: The identification of anthrax through clinical assessment and laboratory testing of specimens. Laboratories distinguish Bacillus anthracis from related organisms in suspected cases.
Koch's postulates: A set of criteria proposed to test whether a microorganism causes a particular disease. Anthrax research supplied an early, influential demonstration of microbial causation.
Bacillus thuringiensis: A spore-forming bacterium used as a biological insecticide because it produces insecticidal proteins. Its close relationship to Bacillus anthracis highlights how plasmids can alter pathogenic traits.
Poly-D-glutamic acid capsule: A capsule made of poly-D-glutamic acid that helps Bacillus anthracis evade immune clearance. This unusual capsule reduces effective engulfment by immune cells.
Anthrax treatment: Medical care for anthrax, including antimicrobial drugs and, in selected cases, antitoxin therapy. Treatment targets infection and may neutralize toxins produced by the bacterium.

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