Sorters in the Wool industry sometimes get infected by a bacterium called ______, which causes a fatal blood disease called ‘Sorter’s Disease’.

The correct answer is Anthrax.

Key Points

• Anthrax causes a fatal blood disease known as sorter's disease.
• It is a rare infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
• It occurs naturally around the world in wild and domestic hoofed animals, especially cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and antelopes.
• It can also occur in humans when they are exposed to the bacterium, usually through handling animals or animals' hides.
• There are 3 forms of anthrax infection: cutaneous (skin), inhalation (lungs), and gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine).

Additional Information

• Acetobacter pasteurianus:
  • It is an acetic acid-producing bacterium commonly found associated with plants and plant products.
  • This organism is used in the production of fermented foods, such as kefir, and vinegar.
• Edwardsiella:
  • It is a genus of gram-negative, fermentation bacteria of the family Hafniaceae.
  • It was first discovered in snakes in 1962.
• Melittangium boletus:
  • ​It is a mesophilic proteobacterium that builds a fruiting body and was isolated from soil with rotting wood.