Anthrax, an agent of biological warfare, is a bacterium that, if inhaled, can kill a person within a few days. It sounds like science fiction, something a mad scientist developed in a laboratory in hopes of taking over the world. It is actually an ancient disease of livestock and humans known since biblical times. He's never made so many headlines before. Anthrax is an infectious disease known as Bacillus Anthracis. The bacterium can survive for centuries in the form of spores. Their internal layer of armor allows the bacteria to exist in the soil or float in the air until they find a host to infect. Symptoms of the disease vary depending on how it was contracted, but usually appear within seven days. Usually, when a person becomes infected through the skin, the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin, such as when handling contaminated wool, hides, leather, or hair products (especially goat hair) from the infected animal. . A skin infection begins as an itchy bump that resembles an insect bite, but within a day or two develops into a blister and then into a painless ulcer, usually one to three centimeters in diameter with an area necrotic (dying) black in the center of the ulcer. Lymph glands in the adjacent area may swell. Approximately twenty percent of untreated cutaneous anthrax cases will result in death (www.cdc.gov). Deaths are rare due to antimicrobial therapy. When anthrax is contracted through inhalation, initial symptoms resemble a common cold. After several days, symptoms can progress to severe breathing problems and shock. Inhalation of anthrax spores usually causes death one to two days after the onset of acute symptoms. The anthrax form of intestinal disease can occur following consumption of contaminated meat and is characterized by acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, bloody vomiting and severe diarrhea. Intestinal anthrax causes death in 25-60% of these cases (www.cdc.gov). If anthrax were to be used in biological warfare, pulmonary (or inhalation) anthrax would be of greater concern as it is the most lethal form of the disease. If billions of anthrax spores were in the air – as might happen if anthrax were unleashed by a missile explosion – it would only take one or two deep breaths to inhale enough anthrax to cause serious infections..