Anthrax: The Evaluation of 27 Cases

Abstract

Twenty seven patients with anthrax applying to Infectious Diseases Department of A¤r› Military Hospital and Internal Medicine Department of State Hospital between 1998-1999 were evaluated prospectively. Twelve of them were males while females made up 15 cases. The mean age was 31.5 (11-59). Excluding one case occupied in the army, all patients were farmers having close relationship with the infected animals. In 5 (18.5%) cases, the lesions were presented as malignant edema distributed to face in one patient, observed at the upper extremity on the other one, and the remaining three cases presented lower extremity findings. In 22 (81.5%) patients, the lesions were in malign pustular form and all were on upper extremities except one lower extremity presentation. The diagnosis was confirmed by bacterial isolation in 13 (48.2%) cases, by direct examination from the lesion material in 8 (29.6%) patients and in remaining 6 (22.2%) cases the diagnosis was established by the lesion presentation. The isolated Bacillus anthracis strains were susceptible to penicillin, eritromycin, cephoxitin, cephotaxim, cephadroxil and imipenem. Three strains were chloramphenicol resistant and two isolates were tetracycline resistant. For the treatment, penicillin was given to 23 patients (92.6%) while 2 cases (7.4%) were administered sulbactam-ampicilline. With emerging respiratory problems of a face restricted lesioned case, that patient was transferred to a more sophisticated center for further investigation and treatment.

Keywords

• Anthrax
• Cutaneous anthrax