Anthrax Virus essays

Anthrax Virus essays Anthrax is a horrible killer. Most that die are unknowing that they are even infected. The symptoms are black sores in the first instance, and abdominal cramp and vomiting and bleeding in the second. If the bacteria grows it will invade the blood stream and cause systemic disease. The inhaled spores are very fast acting. They travel very quickly to lymph nodes. Some of the cell stay in the lungs and cause fluids to build up. After its in the blood B. anthracis can expand because of their virulence factors. This affects the bodies immune defenses that are suppose to monitor the level of bacterial growth. The anthrax toxins also enter other cells and contribute to mortal illness. The toxins consist of three proteins: a protective antigen, edema factor, and lethal factor. These are harmless individually until they attach and enter cells. The way this happen is first the protective antigen binds to the cell where an enzyme trims off its outermost tip. Seven of those molecules form a ring that captures the two factors. Then the two factors attack the cells cytosol, and there they do their dirty work. They have now come up with ATR. It spans the cells membrane and protrudes from it. The protruding part has a receptor area, which are the attachment sites for particular proteins. The area is were the protective protein latches on or so scientist believe. Scientist would like to uncover the molecular interaction that enables protective antigen heptamers to move from the cell surface to inside the cell. I think that if they have come this far then its not long before they figure that out. The only anthrax vaccine approved for humans takes a different form. It consists of toxin molecules that have been treated to prevent them from making people ill. The way the do it is to grow a weaker strand and filter the bacteria cells from the culture and treating with formaldehyde to in ...