ANTHRAX

Two days ago sister asked me to check antibiotic recommendations for anthrax She had seen the patient two weeks ago and had sent him to the government hospital so that he could be quarantined and reported to the authorities in his geographic area so that his family would be checked and his livestock checked. Because of the very famous case in the U.S. about the laboratory technologist who decided he wanted to wipe out the staff of a newspaper rag” in Boca Raton by sending a letter with anthrax spores in it which affected 63 people at the paper I was very concerned and interested. I had visiting me an animal research person who was very concerned about the mention of anthrax. Sister assured him later that she had handled the case properly. He told me they diagnose the animals by their rigid hair and bleeding from any body orifices. He told me that they will bury the animal and the area is restricted for forty years which is the life of the spores. They would go to check all his animals.At the original visit the man had bleeding ulceration area on his face which made an easy diagnosis. I was grateful I did not deal with the person because the incidence of infection is very high for oral and lung because of the spores. However if treated with Cipro and doxicycline the course of improvement is usually successful.