Immunology
The immunogenic behavior of the anthrax bacillus is complex, and it is not certain whether or to what extent immunity develops in cases of recovery from infection. The existence of an extracellular toxin produced by B.
anthracis, which in part determines its virulence was demonstrated only during the 1980s. Certain strains of certain animal species possess a high degree of natural resistance, a fact that introduced confusion and fed much of the controversy surrounding the early work on the etiology of and immunity in anthrax. The live attenuated vaccines used by Louis Pasteur have undergone continued development and improvement over the years, but early results claiming reductions in incidence and fatality rates following their use were not readily sustained. Thus, the early vaccines have gradually been replaced by spore-based vaccines and methods combining active and passive immunization using prepared antiserum. Until recently, vaccines have not been considered safe for use in human beings, but serum treatment has been used extensively for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes.For occupational reasons women are less liable to exposure than men, but the disease, when established, is more commonly fatal in females.
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