Anthrax Vaccine

About Anthrax Vaccine

Louis Pasteur developed the first anthrax vaccine in 1881. Pasteur and his collaborators Emile Roux and Charles Chamberland used attenuated Bacillus anthracis. He conducted a famous public demonstration at Pouilly le Fort, vaccinating half of a group of sheep, goats, and cattle and leaving the rest unvaccinated, then exposing all to anthrax. The vaccinated sheep survived while the unvaccinated sheep died. The modern anthrax vaccine, licensed in the US in 1970, uses a cell free filtrate. Anthrax is primarily a disease of livestock. Humans contract anthrax through contact with infected animals or animal products. Anthrax was used as a bioweapon in the 2001 Amerithrax attacks, when letters containing anthrax spores killed 5 people. The US military vaccinates service members against anthrax. The vaccine is given as a multi dose series with booster doses.