炭疽杆菌通常感染食草动物,但是也可导致人类的局部或全身性感染。吸入炭疽是引起人体死亡的主要类型,这是因为吸入肺部的芽胞触发一种全身性感染,几天内造成病人死亡几乎不可避免。炭疽杆菌产生统称为炭疽毒素的3种蛋白:保护性抗原(PA,83×10~3),致死因子(LF,90×10~3),水肿因子(EF,89×10~9)。这3种蛋白单体无毒性作用,但是 Bacillus anthracis usually infects herbivores, but it can also cause localized or systemic infections in humans. Inhalation of anthrax is the major cause of death in humans because the spores that inhale into the lungs trigger a systemic infection that almost inevitably causes patient deaths within a few days. Bacillus anthracis produces three proteins collectively referred to as anthrax toxin: protective antigen (PA, 83 × 10-3), lethal factor (LF, 90 × 10-3) and edema factor (EF, 89 × 10-9). These three protein monomers have no toxic effects, however