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anthrax Definition

an·thrax (an′t̸hraks′)

noun pl. -·thra·ces′-t̸hrə sēz′

  1. an infectious hemorrhagic disease of wild and domesticated animals, esp. cattle and sheep, which is caused by a bacillus (Bacillus anthracis) and can be transmitted to people: it is characterized by black pustules
  2. any such pustule
  3. blackleg (sense )

Etymology: ME antrax < L anthrax, virulent ulcer < Gr (burning) coal, hence ulcer, carbuncle

anthrax Usage Examples

Preposition: as

  • weapon: Well, maybe, but anybody who chooses to use anthrax as a weapon does not understand biological warfare.

Converse of object

  • inhale: Several regimens completely protected mice from injected and inhaled anthrax.
  • produce: At Salman Pak, equipment acquired from German companies was used to produce anthrax.
  • contain: They had verified that they had destroyed bombs containing anthrax in 1991 by excavating the destruction site.
  • cause: So was anthrax caused by the bacteria or by the farmer burying the dead sheep in the field, or both?
  • include: Asked if that included anthrax, the PMOS said it included weapons of mass destruction.
  • develop: A total of seven animals died and a farmer developed cutaneous anthrax after a pre-existing lesion came into contact with infected animals ' blood.

Adjective modifier

  • inhalational: Early treatment is needed if inhalational anthrax is suspected.
  • cutaneous: An NBC employe has tested positive for cutaneous anthrax.
  • intestinal: This causes intestinal anthrax - a severe form of food poisoning.
  • stated: The Reports stated anthrax does not exist in sufficient quantities to be harmful.
  • concentrated: He states that " the quantity of media involved would suffice to produce, for example, about 5,000 liters of concentrated anthrax.
  • pulmonary: Pulmonary anthrax starts like the ' flu ' with fever, muscle aches and cough.

Modifies a noun

  • spore: How long might anthrax spores left in the ground retain their viability?
  • scare: Recent anthrax scares in the US have shown the dangers of covert chemical warfare.
  • vaccine: Plasma donors must have received four or more doses of anthrax vaccine.
  • toxin: In a test of the vaccine using mice, animals were injected first with the vaccine, then 10 days later with anthrax toxin.
  • bacterium: Our coordinated teams continue to investigate exactly how the child came into contact with the anthrax bacteria.
  • attack: At the time of writing, a major anthrax attack on Britain seems unlikely.

Noun used with modifier

  • inhalation: Person to person spread of inhalation anthrax does not occur.