II.

Anthrax in Animals

Animals can acquire anthrax from drinking water that has drained from soil contaminated with the bacteria, from eating infected carcasses and feedstuffs, and from the bites of bloodsucking insects. The disease, sometimes manifested by staggering, bloody discharge, convulsions, and suffocation, may be fatal almost immediately. Death is caused by toxemia (poisoning). The disease can be prevented by immunization, and in animals that have not been vaccinated, it can be treated with antibiotics. Anthrax is more common in agricultural regions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America than in the United States, Canada, and western Europe.