Anthrax

The most widely recognized biological terrorism agent, anthrax manifests itself in three different forms: cutaneous, inhalational and gastrointestinal.  By far, the inhal-ational form is the most severe type of anthrax, leading to death in half the cases from 2001.  Although not transmissible through human-to-human contact, anthrax can be contracted from animals (i.e. - by handling infected wool or eating infected meat). The Centers for Disease Control categorize anthrax as a "Category A" agent, the deadliest of the three categories the CDC uses to classify potential bioterrorism characteristics in a biological agent.  Agents designated "Category A" are deemed the greatest threats to public health, require public awareness and demand the most planning to deal with a potential attack.