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Article: Anthrax Vaccine
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- Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, andSecurity
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Anthrax Vaccine
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BRIAN HOYLE
Anthrax is an infection that is caused by the bacterium
Bacillus anthracis
.
Several different types of anthrax infection can be caused by the bacterium. Entry of bacteria through a skin wound can produce a skin infection known as cutaneous anthrax. Microorganisms can also contaminate food or water. Ingestion of the contaminated food or water produces gastrointestinal anthrax. The most serious type of anthrax results from the inhalation of the spore form of the bacterium. Inhalation anthrax has a high mortality rate.
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