anthrax: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 22, 2026

News •

Anthrax infection kills female elephant in Coimbatore forest; carcass burnt • Oct. 15, 2026, 1:33 PM ET (The Hindu)

Facts

Also Known As	malignant pustule • woolsorters’ disease • splenic fever

Photos

Microscope photo of Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, showing clusters of purple rod-shaped cells against a yellow background.

Computer-generated model of anthrax toxin showing seven differently colored protein units, with a small gold molecule representing a drug bound to the protein structure.

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Topics

biological weapon Bacillus anthracis Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed Today in History—April 24: How an Anthrax Experiment Quarantined an Island notifiable disease zoonotic disease Bacterial disease cholera malaria leprosy tuberculosis Ebola plague bird flu syphilis typhus scarlet fever

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Robert Koch: Anthrax research

Key People

Painting by Albert Edelfelt showing Louis Pasteur in his laboratory, holding a glass flask and examining it intently, surrounded by scientific equipment on a workbench.

Louis Pasteur

French chemist and microbiologist

Robert Koch

Robert Koch

German bacteriologist

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