Maintained by Dorothy Preslar
Anthrax occurs naturally in the United States, predominantly infecting cattle. Human cases are almost without exception cutaneous infections associated with contact with infected animals. A suspected gastro-intestinal case, the rarest of the three forms, occurred in 2000.
The last fatal case of inhalation anthrax occurred in 1976, when a home craftsman died after working with yarn imported from Pakistan. While records of the CDC do not yet confirm, a case of cutaneous anthrax was reported during the summer of 2001 in Texas, and a second case was suspected. The timing and sequence of recent cases in the United States contradict notions of natural exposure.