# Anthrax Question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 13, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190 "2001-10-13T02:56:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/1 "2001-10-13T02:56:31Z")
One of the infected people has the skin “infection” type anthrax. The best of the three possible ways of getting it.
They say its easily treated.
Question.
Does that mean that she is or will be immune to it ?
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/2 "2001-10-13T03:00:49Z")
It just means she got the spores on her skin instead of breathing them in. Immunity to anthrax appears to exist, but is very poorly understood.
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### Author:  [@xanakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanakis)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/3 "2001-10-13T03:05:49Z")
As far as I’m aware, no.
The treatment for anthrax is antibiotics which kills the anthrax spores.
Antibiotics are different from vaccines. Vaccines contain a small (non-lethal) amount of the bacteria and, once your body is exposed to this bacteria, your immune system kicks in and develops immunity.
Antibiotics don’t contain any of the enemy bacteria they just kill it outright. So no immunity can be developed.
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### Author:  [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/4 "2001-10-13T03:40:08Z")
If I heard correctly the skin type “infection” is so “weak” that the body has been known to cure it itself.With that in mind would you be immunized?
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### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/5 "2001-10-13T04:27:28Z")
**justwannano** that is a very good question. I heard that the skin type anthrax is only fatal in 20% of the cases and therefore 80% would be immune. But the question may be whether they would be immune to the lung type anthrax. If this was a test I’d guess that “yes” they would be, but the two seem to be so different that I’m not sure.
I listened to the news all today and that is all they talked about: anthrax.
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### Author:  [@xanakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanakis)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/6 "2001-10-13T04:32:27Z")
Still, if worst comes to worst there is an anthrax [vaccine](http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1441000/1441902.stm).
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthrax-question/87190/7 "2001-10-13T04:39:42Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by kniz \*
> \*\* I heard that the skin type anthrax is only fatal in 20% of the cases and therefore 80% would be immune. \*\*
Not necessarily. Some diseases confer lifelong immunity, but some don’t. As I said, immunity in anthrax is poorly understood. Checking my textbook, it appears that certain toxins that may or may not be present are required for immunity.