Washington - A 63-year-old Florida man who has contracted pulmonary anthrax is not expected to survive, hospital sources in Palm Beach said yesterday, Patrick Smyth reports. But authorities have rushed to reassure a nervous nation, deeply sensitive to the threat of biological attack, that there is no evidence of a link in this case with terrorism.
Anthrax in its naturally occurring form is rare among humans but common in sheep, cattle and goats. It can be picked up by inhaling bacterial spores, which persist in the soil for many years. It is not contagious. The last confirmed case in the US was recorded last year following an outbreak in a herd in North Dakota.