Anthrax is spread in four different ways.
#1. By breathing weapon-dispersed anthrax spores.
#2. Having contact with infected animals.
#3. Handling infected food products.
#4. Eating infected meat. Incubation period:1 to 6 days between exposure and symptoms.

Initial flu-like symptoms develop within 1-6 days after the bacteria is inhaled.

Inhalation infection can start out like a
common cold
viral-like aches & pains,
high fever,
vomiting,
fatigue,
muscle aches,
joint ache,
labored breathing,
cough, dry cough
mild chest discomfort
followed by severe difficulty breathing
becoming acute
with severe breathing problems and shock.,
internal and external bleeding, lesions
and usually death.

The time of onset and rate of progression of disease depend to a great extent on the inhaled dose..

The time of onset and rate of progression of disease depend to a great extent on the inhaled dose. [today 23Oct01, Tommy Thompson said on TV approximately 6000 to 8000 spores are required to be inhaled to produce infection. Further he stated "just because you have some Anthrax spores in your nose, DOES NOT mean that you have Anthrax!"

YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND DISASTER!

After an additional 2-3 days there may be a brief improvement, followed by a rapid progression of
shortness of breath,
mid-chest pain,
hypoxia,
stridor
sweating

Neck swelling may be seen with chest X-Ray findings of a (characteristic) widened mediastinum.

Pleural effusion and mild pneumonitis may develop.

Meningitis (hemorrhagic) is seen in up to 50 per cent of anthrax cases.
Occasionally victims have seizures.
Death typically occurs 24-36 hours later.
Cutaneous exposure occurs through a skin lesion, not through intact skin.
A small painless black lesion that ulcerates follows an incubation period of 1-5 days.
There is often massive surrounding edema.
Fever,
chills
lymph node inflammation may also occur.
Untreated, mortality is approximately 20 per cent.