Inhalation or respiratory anthrax is an infectious disease caused
by inhaling the spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
Although the spores are dormant when breathed in, they germinate
when exposed to a warm, moist environment, such as the lungs. Not
all particles are small enough to pass into the alveoli, or air
sacs, but those that do begin to multiply and may spread to the
lymphatic system. When the spores germinate in the lymph nodes,
several toxins are released. Particles illustrated are not to
scale.
Review Date: 07/02/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
