What is it? Anthrax, also known as bacillus anthracis, is a bacterium that can create harmful spores. These spores are produced by bacteria, they are in germinal form covered by a protective shell. The spores can thrive in soil for years and can cause anthrax once they enter the body. The spores are too small to see, so they come in the form of power we are familiar with. The bacteria are mainly found in contaminated animals or meat products. The bacteria usually come from wild or domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, etc. However, we sometimes see anthrax infection in humans through inhalation, cutaneous, or gastrointestinal (). It is very unusual for a human to carry anthrax spores with them. Humans only come into contact with the spores when they handle an animal or infected tissue that has come into contact with the bacteria. BackgroundWe first saw anthrax in 1500 BC. Historians have stated that anthrax was known and used during the biblical fifth and sixth Egyptian plagues. During this time people had to believe Homer's Iliad explanation that Apollo was punishing them and sending a burning plague wind that would first hit the animals causing them to blister and then rot while giving off a bad smell, like the effects it has anthrax ( ). Throughout history there have been many epidemics. In the 14th and 16th centuries large epidemics called the Black Bane occurred in Europe, these terrible epidemics caused more and more people to contemplate what could have caused this epidemic. Let us consider two major figures named Casmir- Joseph Davaine and Robert Kosh. These two men would be the first to link this disease to the microbial anthrax bacillus. Later, Louise Pasture will present the first... half-document... rax that could pose a mass threat. Another threat relevant today is the idea that Al Qaeda has talked about acquiring biological weapons for its terrorist actions, even though it is reported that they have not done so ( ). Another potential danger of anthrax is the ability to distribute large-scale quantities of spores through aerosols. This has been studied and signals the idea that aerosol could be used in large buildings or large outdoor areas. The aerosol release would be colorless and odorless and could travel several kilometers. The US military recently ran a test across the Pacific Ocean to see how far anthrax aerosol could travel before dissipating. The test results concluded that “a line 32 miles long could travel 60 miles before losing its contagiousness. This is a big concern due to the poor ability to know when and how to handle an attack.