Anthrax

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Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

Anthrax

Alternative Names

Wool sorter's disease; Ragpicker's disease

Symptoms

Symptoms of anthrax differ depending on the type of anthrax. By type, the symptoms may include:

Cutaneous anthrax: Blister or ulcer that later forms a black scab, and is usually surrounded by a lot of swelling
Inhalation anthrax: Begins with fever, malaise, headache, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain; shock may occur in the second stage
Gastrointestinal anthrax: Nausea and vomiting (the vomit may include blood), anorexia, and bloody diarrhea

Exams and Tests

The tests to diagnose anthrax depend on the type of disease suspected.

If cutaneous anthrax is suspected, you may have a culture of the skin sore to test for the bacteria that causes anthrax.
If inhalational anthrax is suspected, you may need a chest x-ray, blood cultures, sputum cultures, spinal tap for CSF culture, or gram stain. Samples may be sent to a special lab for more testing, including PCR, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry.

References

Reissman DB, Whitney EA, Taylor TH Jr, et al. One-Year Health Assessment of Adult Survivors of Bacillus anthracis Infection.JAMA. 2004;291:1994-1998.

Inglesby TV, O'Toole T, Henderson DA, et al. Anthrax as a Biological Weapon, 2002. JAMA.160;2002;287:2236-2252.


Cutaneous anthrax


Cutaneous Anthrax


Inhalation Anthrax


Antibodies

Review Date: 6/8/2007
Reviewed By: Mark Levin, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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