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"If it shot through that building as quickly as it appeared to, would the flames have enough time to destroy the spores?"

Anyone know the lifespan of an Anthrax spore? Dead 'anthraxed' animals in the woods, decaying, decomposing is a natural occurance. Seems if the spores were very hardy. . .anthrax would be much more common.

Which reminds me; think it is more common than we are led to believe with more cases involving hunters and those who come in contact with dead and diseased animals.

Many times, these cases are just not reported; person is just treated with the appropriate anti-biotic; end of story. . . (my understanding is Cipro and Doxycyclene (sp?) are the only two effective treatments; but have read info to the contrary nonetheless. . .

You can die from any of the forms of anthrax if not properly treated, and the reason that inhalation anthrax is so deadly is due to the hospitable enviroment of the lungs. Even inhalation anthrax is survivable, in and of it'self, but one of the major complications is the rapid spread of the bacillus, and that meningitis onset may also occur rapidly, and may be the actual cause of death.

Anthrax spores may survive almost indefintly in uncultivated soils with a pH greater that 6.0 and ambient temperature above 15.5 degrees Celsius. Anthrax spores seem to be the most common route for infection of animals, but human anthrax is most commonly spread through contaminated meat, bone meal, hides, and animal feeds. Bacilli or spores may be the agent of infection.

There is a great deal of information in a section of the Pediatric Desk Reference that is too large to post here.