Abstract
The isolation of Bacillus anthracis ( B. anthracis) from a clinical specimen has the ability to stir a state public health department and all of its counterparts into a colossal windstorm of activity. The organism has been used as an agent of bioterrorism and has the ability to cause severe illness and death. Although neither difficult to grow nor requiring special media, anthrax does require specific methods for confirmation and identification, distinguishing it from other Bacillus species. This article describes the presence of B. anthracis in the United States, the type of infections it causes, and what occurred when a single case of gastrointestinal anthrax was identified in New Hampshire. * DHHS : Department of Health and Human Services; CDC : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FBI : Federal Bureau of Investigation; ASM : American Society for Microbiology; LRN : Laboratory Response Network; PHL : Public Health Laboratories; CST : Civil Support Team; DES : Department of Environmental Services; OSHA : Occupational Safety and Health Administration; EPA : Environmental Protection Agency; NIOSH : National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; MLVA : multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis; PCR : polymerase chain reaction; CAP : College of American Pathologists; HAN : Health Alert Network
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