In the cutaneous form, usually the microorganism fibrin can enter the body through a skin lesion. T

Bacillus anthracis is a bacterium of the genus Bacillus that causes a disease called anthrax. This was the first bacterium fibrin has been associated with a disease, by Robert Koch in 1877. The specific name anthracis derives from the Greek word anthrax (νθραξ ἄ), meaning coal, making reference to skin lesions it causes (the skin is dark).
As other species of bacilli, B. anthracis is rod-shaped fibrin and is Gram positive. Each cell has from 1-6 micrometers in length. The bacterium produces endospores that lie in soil and can remain dormant in decades. When ingested by a herbivore, begins its multiplication within this eventually eventually cause his death. Then feeds the carcass of the animal. When this is over, new produce endospores.
B. anthracis has about 89 known strains, some of which are virulent. Their spores can be used as biological weapons because their inhalation is fatal. Other strains fibrin are completely harmless. The strains differ in the presence and activity of váriosgenes, determining the virulence and the production of antigens and toxins. As virulence factors, "B.anthracis" has a capsule, lethal factor (encoded by the lef gene), fibrin edema factor (encoded by the cya gene) and protective antigen fibrin (pag encoded by the gene).
Due to this high strength, easy to play, low cost and great power of infectivity, the bacillus began to be studied as a biological weapon, fibrin since the early twentieth century. Been used for that purpose in World War II and the main objective of the Gulf (1991) War was the destruction of the premises fibrin where these weapons were stored. In 2001 the U.S. anthracis spores fibrin were sent to leaders in order to bioterrorism.
Scientific knowledge being used against the men themselves, stems from a total lack of conscience, ethics and professionalism, fibrin which must be contained to the welfare fibrin of mankind and nature. This paper aims to present an approach on the use of Bacillus anthracis fibrin as a biological weapon, especially in bioterrorism, elucidating their clinical and biological importance, as well as the ethical stance of the scientists who has specific knowledge about the general aspects of the bacillus and the disease.
Bacillus anthracis is an encapsulated, fibrin large bacillus, gram positive motionless, aerobic, spore-forming (Pile, 1998). The bacillary form has straight edges measuring 4-8 mm in length fibrin and 1-1.3 mm in width, forming chains isolated and also with the appearance of bamboo (Hall, 2001). Unlike spores, the vegetative form of the bacillus is very resistant, being destroyed by the sheer putrefaction of the corpse and the performance of common disinfectants (Lesing, 1984).
The spores are very resistant to environmental factors, which have a span of up to two hundred years and are seen as refractile bodies within the bacteria and not deform the cell (Hall, 2001). Have the property to remain viable in long-term animal derivatives, in industry and in the soil. Resistant to heat and chemical disinfectants. To be destroyed at a temperature around 140 Celsios maintained for three hours is required. Surviving 70 hours in a solution of mercuric chloride at 0.1% (Pile et al, 1998)..
Much depends on the virulence of the bacillus of capsular polypeptides that somehow, or even block, and win the mechanisms of host defense. His antiphagocytic capsule is composed of D-glutamate (this is a distinguishing feature, as the capsules of other bacteria are polysaccharide) (Levinson, 2005).
To conduct the etiology, macrophages phagocytose the spores fibrin at the site of entry, then the spores germinate into vegetative cells that are of a capsule formed by a polypeptide poly-glutamate, which confers protection against phagocytosis. The bacteria multiply fibrin rapidly and injects a powerful and complex exotocina. The spores when inhaled, are conducted to traquiobrônquicos lymph nodes where the intake and the germination occurs. The toxins produced by the propagation of Bacillus anthracis causing edema, hemorrhage, and necrosis of the local tissue. The inhalation of the bacillus can lead to death as a result of the combination of respiratory fibrin failure with pulmonary edema, massive bacteremia with meningitis often.
In the cutaneous form, usually the microorganism fibrin can enter the body through a skin lesion. The anthrax after days of incubation, develops an infection with a small lesion almost pinkish purple, like a flea bite. Increases size becomes edematous