zoonoses and communicable diseases common to ... - PAHO/WHO

ANTHRAX 27reactions and the recommendation is thus to administer the vaccine in two doses inthis species, with a month between doses (administer one-fourth of the dose in thefirst month and the full dose the following month). Pregnant females of any speciesshould not be vaccinated unless they are at high risk of contracting anthrax.Antibiotics should not be administered a few days before or a few days after vaccination.In general, annual vaccination is sufficient; only in hyperenzootic areas isvaccination at shorter intervals recommended. Immunity is established in approximatelyone week in cattle, but takes longer in horses. In regions where anthraxoccurs sporadically, mass vaccination is not justified and should be limited toaffected herds. Rapid diagnosis, isolation, and treatment of sick animals with antibiotics(penicillin) are important.Autopsies should not be performed on animals that have died from anthrax. Anunopened carcass decomposes rapidly and the vegetative form of B. anthracis isdestroyed in a short time. To make the diagnosis, it is recommended that blood betaken from a peripheral vessel with a syringe and sent to the laboratory in a sterilecontainer. Dead animals should be destroyed where they lie as quickly as possible,preferably by incineration. The alternative is to bury them two meters deep andcover them with a layer of lime.In areas where these procedures are not possible, the dead animal should be leftintact so that it will start to decompose and, as much as possible, natural orifices andthe surrounding soil should be treated with 10% formol (25% formalin).Affected herds should be placed in quarantine, which should last until two weeksafter the last case is confirmed, with no animal or animal product allowed out.If anthrax is suspected at a slaughterhouse, all operations should be halted untilthe diagnosis is confirmed. If positive, all exposed carcasses should be destroyedand the premises carefully disinfected (with a 5% caustic lye solution for eighthours) before operations are resumed.BibliographyAbdenour D., B. Larouze, D. Dalichaouche, M. Aouati. Familial occurrence of anthrax inEastern Algeria [letter]. J Infect Dis 155:1083–1084, 1987.Brachman, P.S. Anthrax. In: Warren, K.S., A.A.F. Mahmoud, eds. Tropical andGeographical Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.; 1984.Braderic N., V. Punda-Polic. Cutaneous anthrax due to penicillin-resistant Bacillusanthracis transmitted by an insect bite [letter]. Lancet 340:306–307, 1992.Ebedes, H. Anthrax epizootics in wildlife in the Etosha Park, South West Africa. In: Page,L.A., ed. Wildlife Diseases. New York: Plenum Press; 1976.Fragoso Uribe, R., H. Villicaña Fuentes. Antrax en dos comunidades de Zacatecas, México.Bol Oficina Sanit Panam 97:526–533, 1984.Harrison, L.H, J.W. Ezzel, T.G. Abshire, et al. Evaluation of serologic tests for diagnosis ofanthrax after an outbreak of cutaneous anthrax in Paraguay. J Infect Dis 160:706–710, 1989.Hunter, L., W. Corbett, C. Grinden. Anthrax. Zoonoses update. J Am Vet Med Assoc194:1028–1031, 1989.La Force, F.M. Informe a la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana. Haiti, 1978.Little, S.F., G.B. Knudson. Comparative efficacy of Bacillus anthracis live spore vaccineand protective antigen vaccine against anthrax in the guinea pig. Infect Immun 52:509–512, 1986.