Role of individual bacteria in spreading anthrax through body

The FDA has posted an interesting research note titled ‘FDA study suggests critical potential role of individual bacteria in spreading anthrax through body’.

The note states that:

“The spread of the most dangerous type of anthrax infection through the body slows down when the bacteria hit a temporary bottleneck created by the immune system, according to results of a study by scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bottleneck traps the bacteria until some of them escape and continue to spread the infection throughout the body.

The FDA finding suggests that potentially even a single anthrax bacterium that slips out of this bottleneck can continue to spread this type of anthrax, called inhalational anthrax, throughout the body. (The other types are gastrointestinal and cutaneous [skin] anthrax.)”

To read about the research in more detail, see FDA anthrax.

Posted by Tim Sandle