Anthrax is primarily a disease of livestock, but people who have been exposed to an infected carcass or spores of the bacteria from another source can contract human forms of the disease. There are three ways of contracting anthrax:
Inhalation - anthrax spores are breathed in through the nose or mouth;
Cutaneous - the spores enter the body through an open wound on the skin, such as a cut or abrasion when handling contaminated products or infected animals;
Intestinal - the disease may occur after eating contaminated meat.
Anthrax does not spread from person to person, and antibiotics can be used to treat this disease in humans.