{c}

<Bacillus anthracis> is a rod-shaped <bacterium> associated with <anthrax>. Its life history includes a resistant dormant <spore> state and metabolically active growing <cells>. A <spore> is a survival state of the <bacterium>, not a separate <species> or a fungal reproductive structure. <About Anthrax by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention>[Overview: Bacillus anthracis, environmental spores and animal-associated exposure]{ref}

The distinction links environmental persistence with disease ecology. Long-lived <spores> and actively multiplying cells have different physiological properties, so counting one state is not equivalent to measuring growth of the other. The disease also depends on the route by which exposure reaches susceptible <tissue>. Recognizing the <species>, detecting exposure and identifying an established <infection> are therefore separate biological questions.


 Bacillus anthracis (source code)