When an outbreak occurs in a defined area, it is necessary to take early steps to break the infection cycle by maintaining strict biosecurity and vaccinating uninfected animals. This bacterium is susceptible to many antibiotics, yet only penicillin and oxytetracycline have the most effective under field conditions. The blood may fail to clot and can be found in the mouth, nostrils, and anus in the animals that die from anthrax. In severely infected cases, the animals are dead without premonitory clinical signs. The clinical courses of this disease in animals are peracute, acute, subacute, and chronic forms. Anthrax is enzootic in many Asian and African countries, and is reported in Australia, some parts of Europe, and America. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, produces spores and persists for decades in the soil, initiating an outbreak through a favorable climate shift. In the farm animals, cattle and sheep are more susceptible, followed by goats and horses, while dwarf pigs and Algerian sheep are relatively resistant. Johnson, the department's secretary, said a team of health experts has been sent to Mansfield University, and a public meeting was scheduled at the university Wednesday evening.Anthrax is a rapidly fatal infectious disease affecting herbivores and people. Authorities also are trying to find anyone who might have had contact with the hides as well as members of the dance company, who are all from New York City, according to the state health department news release.ĭr. It includes an assessment of the patient's home and workspace in Brooklyn. The FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are assisting local authorities in the investigation. ( Watch Mayor Michael Bloomberg explain how the case is an isolated one - 3:27) New York City and federal authorities discussed the case at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, where they assured the public that the incident does not pose a health threat.
It adds, "Unprocessed animal hides can be a source of anthrax spores."Īnthrax bacteria lie dormant in tough cells called spores until conditions are favorable for them to infect animals or humans. "The patient has a history of contact with unprocessed animal hides and recently traveled to Africa, where he purchased unprocessed hides."
"At this time, there is no indication that the exposure was from an intentional release of anthrax," according to a release from the department. The department said he was taken to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northeast of Mansfield.īlood tests were taken Friday, and on Tuesday the tests detected anthrax bacteria in the man's system, according to the state health department. The man, who plays native African music, complained of flu-like symptoms before collapsing last week at the end of the Kotchegna Dance Company show at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, sources said. The 44-year-old man recently traveled to Africa, where he bought animal hides and took them back to New York City to make drums, the department said. "The man poses no public health threat of transmitting anthrax to the community or the health care providers caring for him," the department said in a statement. He is in stable condition at a Pennsylvania hospital, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. (CNN) - A New York musician has tested positive for anthrax that authorities say came from unprocessed animal skins used to make traditional African instruments.
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