Fun Facts
The Little Tidbits of Information that make Bacillus Anthracis such an interesting organism

           DID YOU KNOW?

           The word Anthrax is derived from the Greek word anthrakos which means coal.

Bacillus anthracis was the first bacterium proven to be the cause of a disease.

Robert Koch is one of the original founders of bacteriology.

Anthrax is a seasonal disease that is controlled by temperature fluctuations, amount of rain received, and soil type. 

In the United States, the anthrax vaccination has been approved by the FDA since 1970, providing protection for the people at high risk of obtaining the disease.  The vaccine has been proven to be 93% effective in all cases.

143 nations around the world have signed a treaty banning the use of weapons loaded with anthrax spores.

Bacillus anthracis has two structures that cannot be found on other strains of bacteria.  They are a surface layer and a capsule.  When both are present, the capsule is the outermost structure of Bacillus anthracis.

Death in humans and animals because of anthrax infection is still not completely understood, partially because it happens so quickly and without warning.

Thousands of anthrax spores are required for human infection, of which all can fit in the area of a single pinhead.