Bacillus anthracis
The anthrax bacillus, Bacillus anthracis, was the first bacterium shown to be the cause of a disease. In 1877, Robert Koch grew the organism in pure culture, demonstrated its ability to form endospores, and produced experimental anthrax by injecting it into animals. It is a very large, Gram-positive, spore forming rod, 1 - 1.2µm in width x 3 - 5µm in length. Anthrax can be cultivated in ordinary nutrient medium under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Genotypically and phenotypically it is very similar to Bacillus cereus, which is found in soil habitats around the world, and to Bacillus thuringiensis, the pathogen for larvae of Lepidoptera. The three species have the same cellular size and morphology and form oval spores located centrally in a nonswollen sporangium.
Characteristics of a Nervous System in B. anthracis
Although Bacillus anthracis does not have a nervous system, it does show characteristic of the roles of organisms that do have nervous systems. For example, B. anthracis pores are very resilient, surviving extremes of temperature, low-nutrient environments, and harsh chemical treatment over decades and centuries. In order for this bacterium to do so, it needs a way to control voluntary and involuntary movements over these extended periods of time during extreme conditions. This is how we know that anthrax must carry out similar procedures to that or a nervous system.
Anthrax spores have the capability to remain dormant in soil and on certain plants for decades at a time. Soil is the most common place the spores can be found, and as a result of this they have been called one of the most stable of the bacterium spores. Some of the factors that welcome the presence of anthrax spores include nitrogen levels found in the soil, soil with a pH higher than 6.0, temperatures higher than fifteen degrees Celsius, and climate changes that are rapid and often surprising. Knowing this, we can also conclude that this bacterium shows responsiveness and sensitivity to its environment, which is another characteristic of a nervous system.
When B. anthracis is outside a human or animal vector, it exists in suspended animation as an endospore. However, once it is inside a human or animal, it responds to stimuli in its environment and converts to the vegetative form. The vegetative form of anthrax is the form that leads to infection and causes diseases. Fortunately, it is a poor survivor and if the requirements both nutritionally and concentration wise are not met according to the above requirements, the vegetative form will die.
Anthrax spores have the capability to remain dormant in soil and on certain plants for decades at a time. Soil is the most common place the spores can be found, and as a result of this they have been called one of the most stable of the bacterium spores. Some of the factors that welcome the presence of anthrax spores include nitrogen levels found in the soil, soil with a pH higher than 6.0, temperatures higher than fifteen degrees Celsius, and climate changes that are rapid and often surprising. Knowing this, we can also conclude that this bacterium shows responsiveness and sensitivity to its environment, which is another characteristic of a nervous system.
When B. anthracis is outside a human or animal vector, it exists in suspended animation as an endospore. However, once it is inside a human or animal, it responds to stimuli in its environment and converts to the vegetative form. The vegetative form of anthrax is the form that leads to infection and causes diseases. Fortunately, it is a poor survivor and if the requirements both nutritionally and concentration wise are not met according to the above requirements, the vegetative form will die.