ANTHRAX

anthrax

(noun) a disease of humans that is not communicable; caused by infection with Bacillus anthracis followed by septicemia

anthrax, splenic fever

(noun) a highly infectious animal disease (especially cattle and sheep); it can be transmitted to people

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

anthrax (usually uncountable, plural anthraxes)

(pathology) An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.

The human disease that can occur in humans through contact with infected herbivores, tissue from infected animals, or high concentrations of anthrax spores, but is not usually spread between humans, with symptoms including lesions on the skin or in the lungs, often fatal.

Synonyms

• charbon

• Cumberland disease

• malignant edema

• Siberian plague

• splenic fever

• woolsorter's disease

Source: Wiktionary

An"thrax, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. (Med.) (a) A carbuncle. (b) A malignant pustule.

2. (Biol.)

Definition: A microscopic, bacterial organism (Bacillus anthracis), resembling transparent rods. [See Illust. under Bacillus.]

3. An infectious disease of cattle and sheep. It is ascribed to the presence of a rod-shaped bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), the spores of which constitute the contagious matter. It may be transmitted to man by inoculation. The spleen becomes greatly enlarged and filled with bacteria. Called also splenic fever.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition