Dealing with deadly anthrax bacterium

By Maria Endah Hulupi

JAKARTA (JP): Recent reports of anthrax-infected livestock in West Java are causing concern. Many people now shun beef and mutton for fear of contracting anthrax from infected meat.

An additional order like "Just omit the beef, please" or questions such as "Can I have chicken instead of beef, please?" are often heard while dining out in restaurants. In some supermarkets or malls you may hear an announcement assuring customers that the beef being sold is save for consumption as it has passed screening and meets the official standards set by the City Animal Husbandry Agency.

However, people's concerns are well-founded since cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes are vulnerable to anthrax.

Anthrax, also known as splenic fever, is a highly infectious disease. It is caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacterium, which attacks the spleen of the animals. It affects the organ that produces thrombocyte, leading to thinning of the blood.

Anthrax-infected animals have a high temperature with shorter but faster breathing, which aims at reducing their body heat. They also have a faster heartbeat.

"Within the next 12 to 24 hours, the animal will get very weak and finally die, with blood of a thin consistency oozing from the nose, ears, mouth and anus," said the chairman of the Indonesian Veterinaries Association (PDHI), Sri Dadi Wiryosuhanto.

He added that spores of the bacterium could survive on the carcass, bone, fur, wool, skin, dried blood, on the earth and grass for more than a decade.

Anthrax was first reported in Indonesia in 1885 and since then officials have declared Jambi, Bogor and Purwakarta in West Java, Boyolali and Salatiga in Central Java, Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara as endemic areas.

An internist at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Leonard Nainggolan, said people could contract the disease after consuming the meat of infected animals (gastrointestinal anthrax), through inhalation while handling the fur of infected animals or while working with soil contaminated with the bacterium or through direct contact with an infected animal that has open wounds (cutaneous anthrax).

He added that people suffering from cutaneous anthrax would develop carbuncles on their skin within 10 days after first contact. Those who are infected through consuming contaminated meat complain of nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea within two to three days, while those who contract it through inhalation develop early symptoms such as fever, respiratory difficulties, cough, headache, vomiting, chills, weakness, abdominal and chest pains in three to 14 days after exposure.

"There has been no reports of fatalities in Jakarta. But without proper treatment, it can be fatal," he said, adding that many people infected with anthrax ignore the early symptoms and often mistake them for other common illnesses.

Leonard said doctors normally prescribed antibiotic such as penicillin, tetracycline and doxycycline for patients, which would significantly reduce the risk of death.

On the other hand, Sri Dadi said, livestock usually get an acute and virulent form of the disease from the grass they eat. Farmers often say their animals were alive and looked healthy one day but the next morning would be dead.

The spread of Bacillus anthracis through livestock can be controlled by vaccination for prevention and serum for treating infected animals.

"When one animal on a farm is infected, the remaining animals will get it too. That's why it's important to isolate the area," Sri Dadi explained.

The carcass of an infected animal and the whole barn should be burned down. A hole should be dug at the very location to bury the burned carcass once it has been covered with lime to prevent the bacteria from spreading. While other animals should be vaccinated immediately.

Before animals are transported to a slaughterhouse, employees of the local animal husbandry agency issue a certificate stating an animal's origin to indicate the area it came from and a letter is issued by a veterinarian to confirm that the animal has been examined. Each animal is then observed for three days, with its temperature being taken and checks for any health problems before it is slaughtered.

"That's why the public should buy meat at registered markets for safe consumption," Sri Dadi said.

As for those who are not convinced about the meat at registered shops, supermarkets and malls, they are advised to thoroughly cook the meat at high temperature or 100 degrees Celsius for at least 10 minutes to make sure that all Bacillus anthracis has been killed.