1.   Anthrax is a naturally occurring bacteria that most often infects livestock.

2.   Access to anthrax cultures remains vital for scientists studying the disease, which infects livestock in many parts of the world.

3.   Japanese investigators discovered that cult members had also obtained anthrax bacteria, apparently simply by digging up soil from a site where livestock had been infected with the disease.

4.   Vaccines today, Mason said, are problematic because, while they protect an individual animal, it may not protect that animal from infecting other livestock.

5.   Health ministries are stocking up on antibiotics that effectively treat anthrax, a potentially lethal bacteria that sometimes infects livestock and can also be manufactured in the lab.

6.   They also fear their crops and livestock are infected.

7.   These insects carry the Rift Valley Fever virus and infect livestock.