Isolation of Bacillus anthracis from an aborted bovine foetus

WE report here the presence of virulent anthrax bacilli in aborted tissues. This is significant in that it suggests that the foetus becomes infected during the bacteraemia/pyrexia phase of the dam, and that the bacilli continue to multiply in and cause the death of the foetus despite the recovery with treatment in the parent cow. Since abortion may be a sequel to the infection in pregnant animals which survive, the products of such abortions must be regarded as potential vectors of anthrax both for man and other animals.