Anthrax is an infection caused by the spore-forming, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis or Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis [1][2]. Its two major virulence determinants are the anthrax toxin complex, encoded on plasmid pXO1, and an antiphagocytic polyglutamic capsule, encoded on plasmid pXO2; expression of both is regulated by the bicarbonate-responsive transcriptional activator AtxA [3].
Disease overview
BacterialAnthrax
炭疽
Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Anthrax is a bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthracis (or Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis), a spore-forming, gram-positive organism whose durable spores can persist in soil and animal products for long periods [1][2]. Disease arises after spores enter the host through the skin, lungs, or oral route and germinate, releasing potent toxins that drive pathogenesis [2][3]. It primarily affects people who handle infected animals or animal products, as well as military personnel, and remains a concern for outbreak preparedness and biosecurity [1][4]. Effective prevention is available through vaccination of at-risk humans and animals, together with post-exposure antibiotic courses [1][2].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6
Symptom onset typically occurs between one day and two months after infection is contracted [1]. Cutaneous anthrax presents as a small blister with surrounding swelling that often evolves into a painless ulcer with a black center [1]. The inhalation form manifests with fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath, while the intestinal form produces diarrhea (which may contain blood), abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting [1]. An injection form, described among injecting drug users, may resemble cutaneous anthrax but lacks the characteristic black eschar, can involve deeper tissue, and may progress more rapidly [1].
Anthrax cases are closely tied to environments where B. anthracis spores persist in soil and to exposure to infected animal products, with at-risk groups including people who work with animals or animal products and military personnel [1]. A notable outbreak occurred in December 2009 among injecting heroin users in the Glasgow and Stirling areas of Scotland, resulting in 14 deaths and representing the first documented non-occupational human anthrax outbreak in the UK since 1960 [1].
B. anthracis is transmitted through spores present in contaminated soil or animal products, which enter the host via the skin, by inhalation, or through ingestion [1][2]. Routes of entry include contact with broken skin, inhalation, and eating contaminated materials, while person-to-person spread does not typically occur [1]. Injection of contaminated materials has also been documented as a route of transmission [1][2].
Precautions to prevent anthrax include vaccination of at-risk humans and animals in areas with previous infections, along with a two-month post-exposure antibiotic course using agents such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, or doxycycline [1]. Two vaccines, BioThrax and CYFENDUS, are approved by the U.S. FDA for anthrax prevention, and anthrax vaccines are maintained in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile as part of pandemic and bioterrorism preparedness [2][4]. When handling a deceased body suspected of harboring anthrax, contact with skin and body fluids should be avoided; the body should be quarantined, sampled under containment, sealed in an airtight body bag, and incinerated to prevent spore dispersal [1].
- 1Wikipedia contributors. Anthrax - Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikipedia. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax
- 2Sangwan N et al. Anthrax: Transmission, Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment. Toxins (Basel). 2025 Jan 24. PMID: 39998073. doi: 10.3390/toxins17020056.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39998073/
- 3Moayeri M et al. Anthrax Pathogenesis. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2015. PMID: 26195305. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-091014-104523.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26195305/
- 4Hammershaimb EAD et al. Vaccine Development. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2024 Jun. PMID: 38754940. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2024.01.018.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38754940/
- A22
- 1B91
Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
AustraliaAU
AustriaAT
BelgiumBE
BulgariaBG
CanadaCA
ChinaCN
CroatiaHR
CyprusCY
CzechiaCZ
DenmarkDK
EstoniaEE
FinlandFI
FranceFR
GermanyDE
GreeceGR
Hong Kong, ChinaHK
HungaryHU
IcelandIS
IrelandIE
ItalyIT
JapanJP
LatviaLV
LiechtensteinLI
LithuaniaLT
LuxembourgLU
MaltaMT
NetherlandsNL
NorwayNO
PolandPL
PortugalPT
RomaniaRO
SlovakiaSK
SloveniaSI
South KoreaKR
SpainES
SwedenSE
United KingdomGB
United StatesUS
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
Recent related research
Periorbital anthrax after soil-contaminated trauma mimicking necrotizing infection: a case report with diagnostic and reconstructive challenges
Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection
PCR-Based Detection of Priority Bacterial Biological Threat Agents: Advances in Diagnosis of Anthrax, Tularemia and Brucellosis
One Health Journal
Real-world analysis of depression-related adverse events associated with the adsorbed anthrax vaccine: integrating pharmacovigilance signals, machine learning risk prediction, and transcriptomic mechanisms
Infectious Diseases of Poverty
Knowledge-attitude and practice of Anthrax and brucellosis: Implications for zoonotic disease surveillance and control in pastoral communities of Afar and Somali region, Ethiopia
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Distribution and Molecular Evolution of Bacillus anthracis Genotypes in Namibia
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Showing 5 of 6 related publications.
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes95
Austria AGES Radar for Infectious Diseases
Austria
AGES Radar monthly national source. Internal ingestion retains native categories; public release is disabled pending licence review.
Australia NINDSS
Australia
Australian national notifiable diseases surveillance dashboard.
Australia NINDSS — Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Australian Capital Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for New South Wales, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Northern Territory
Northern Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Northern Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Queensland
Queensland, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Queensland, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — South Australia
South Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for South Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Tasmania
Tasmania, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Tasmania, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Victoria
Victoria, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Victoria, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Western Australia
Western Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Western Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Belgium Annual Baseline
Belgium
Belgium annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Bulgaria Annual Baseline
Bulgaria
Bulgaria annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Canada PHAC CNDSS Annual
Canada
Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.
China CDC Weekly
China
Monthly notifiable infectious disease reports published by China CDC.
National Disease Control and Prevention Administration
China
Official China public health bulletin and query portal.
PubMed
China
Biomedical literature discovery feed used as supplementary context.
Public Health Science Data Center
Anhui, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Anhui, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Chongqing, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Chongqing, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Guangdong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Guangdong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Gansu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Gansu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Henan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Henan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Hebei, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Hebei, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Jilin, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Jilin, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Jiangsu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Jiangsu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Liaoning, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Liaoning, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Inner Mongolia, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Inner Mongolia, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Ningxia, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Ningxia, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Qinghai, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Qinghai, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Sichuan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Sichuan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shandong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shandong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shanghai, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shanghai, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shaanxi, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shaanxi, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shanxi, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shanxi, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Xinjiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Xinjiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Tibet, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Tibet, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Yunnan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Yunnan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Zhejiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Zhejiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Cyprus Annual Baseline
Cyprus
Cyprus annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Czechia Annual Baseline
Czechia
Czechia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Germany RKI SurvStat 2.0
Germany
RKI SurvStat national weekly notification export; raw ZIP exports are retained and recent weeks are overwritten for revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Denmark Annual Baseline
Denmark
Denmark annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Estonia Annual Baseline
Estonia
Estonia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Spain Annual Baseline
Spain
Spain annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register
Finland
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register national monthly case counts. The current month is ingested as provisional and the latest three months are refreshed for source revisions.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — France Annual Baseline
France
France annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — United Kingdom Annual Baseline
United Kingdom
United Kingdom annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Greece Annual Baseline
Greece
Greece annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Croatia Annual Baseline
Croatia
Croatia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Hungary Annual Baseline
Hungary
Hungary annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Ireland HPSC Notifiable Diseases Hub
Ireland
Ireland HPSC national weekly notifiable-disease totals from the official ArcGIS FeatureServer. Internal ingestion is enabled; public release remains disabled pending written redistribution permission.
Iceland Directorate of Health Annual Dashboard
Iceland
National annual case notifications by disease. Published values can be revised retrospectively and remain annual period totals.
Iceland Directorate of Health STI Dashboard
Iceland
Monthly STI diagnosis facts from laboratory and registry surveillance; the official dashboard is published on a quarterly schedule.
Iceland Directorate of Health Respiratory Dashboard
Iceland
ISO-week respiratory diagnosis counts. Hospitalizations, samples, and vaccination indicators are separate measures and are not counted as diagnoses.
Iceland Directorate of Health Historical Registry
Iceland
Historical official registry tables for 1997–2021, with annual totals and disease-specific monthly notification facts retained at source grain.
Iceland Directorate of Health Legacy ICD Monthly
Iceland
Historical Saga EHR ICD encounter counts for 1997–2020. This clinical measure is non-comparable with registry notifications and is kept separate.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Italy Annual Baseline
Italy
Italy annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
JP NIID Weekly
Japan
Japan weekly infectious disease surveillance via NIID/JIHS.
Korea KDCA EID
South Korea
Korea KDCA notifiable infectious disease OpenAPI or portal/KOSIS downloads aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Liechtenstein Annual Baseline
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Lithuania Annual Baseline
Lithuania
Lithuania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Luxembourg Annual Baseline
Luxembourg
Luxembourg annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Latvia Annual Baseline
Latvia
Latvia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Malta Annual Baseline
Malta
Malta annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Netherlands Annual Baseline
Netherlands
Netherlands annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Norway FHI MSIS Statistics Bank
Norway
Norway FHI MSIS national monthly notifications from the official Allvis frontend API; adapter contract checks guard the unversioned endpoint.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Poland Annual Baseline
Poland
Poland annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Portugal Annual Baseline
Portugal
Portugal annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Romania Annual Baseline
Romania
Romania annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
Sweden Public Health Agency SmiNet
Sweden
Sweden SmiNet national monthly reported cases from the official Public Health Agency statistics pages; public release is enabled with closed-month publication and revisable recent-month refreshes.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovenia Annual Baseline
Slovenia
Slovenia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
ECDC Surveillance Atlas — Slovakia Annual Baseline
Slovakia
Slovakia annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.
US CDC NNDSS
United States
CDC National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System provisional data.
US CDC NHSS HIV
United States
CDC NNDSS weekly data plus NHSS annual national HIV diagnoses