Anthrax
Research papers on anthrax are very common ever since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Your anthrax research papers should cover the basic facts of the spores that can be a weapon and devastatingly deadly.
Anthrax, or Bacillus anthracis (b anthracis), comes from the Greek word meaning "coal," because contact with anthrax causes lesions on a person's skin that resemble coal in both shape and color. Found naturally in the soil, anthrax spores germinate when they enter an environment abundant in amino acids, nucleosides (a combination of sugar and nucleic acid, and glucose, which also are found in the blood or tissues of animals. And an author says, anthrax in its natural state is not usually a threat to humans, except under unusual conditions. Those would include contact with animals, such as cattle, carrying the agent, if the person were to eat meat contaminated from the animal's having ingested anthrax.
Anthrax Spores
B anthracis is a large spore, measuring 1.0 to 1.5 mm by 3.0 mm to 10 mm. The spores have no motility, or motion capability, but they grow virulently at temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While growing, they do so in long chains; however, once in a host the spore appears as either a single organism or as chains of two or three bacilli.
Anthrax, especially b anthracis, is highly virulent, and its virulence factors are encoded within each spore on two plasmids (a genetic element found in many bacterial cells). Even when growth stops when b anthracis is in the soil, it can remain viable for many decades, according to an author.
Types of Anthrax
There are many types of anthrax you will want to cover in your Anthrax research paper.
- Cutaneous Anthrax - It is the most common naturally occurring form and is found largely in soil and in plants growing in that soil.
- Gastrointestinal Anthrax - Rare and stems from cutaneous anthrax, where humans eat contaminated meat from infected animals.
- Inhalation Anthrax - The type we now fear. It is a manufactured, rather than natural product, and has the potential for serious consequences if used as a biological weapon, according to an author.