Gastrointestinal and cutaneous anthrax: Case series

Vildan Ozer; Mucahit Gunaydin; Sinan Pasli; Firdevs Aksoy; Abdulkadir Gunduz

doi:10.1016/j.tjem.2018.10.002

Vildan Ozer¹, Mucahit Gunaydin², Sinan Pasli³, Firdevs Aksoy⁴, Abdulkadir Gunduz⁵

¹Rize State Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rize, Turkey
²Giresun University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Giresun, Turkey
³Gumushane State Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Gumushane, Turkey
⁴Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Trabzon, Turkey
⁵Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey

Abstract

Introduction: Anthrax is a zoonosis affecting herbivorous animals. Its agent is Bacillus anthracis and it is gram positive, aerobic or facultative anaerobic, immobile and has a capsule in the polypeptide structure. The incidence is gradually decreasing in the world and in our country. The disease is especially seen in areas where stock breeding is common. In this case series, 3 cases, one of them was mortal, took place after anthrax infected cow was eaten in February 2018 in Trabzon was shared.

Case presentations: In the first case, as a result of the animal's meat was eaten, gastrointestinal anthrax and associated sepsis were seen. This patient's blood culture was positive and she was died. Second case after contacting the patient who died, and third case after contacting the animal and eating its meat, diagnosed with cutaneous anthrax. Doxycycline treatment was started with cutaneous anthrax patients, these cases were recovered without any complications.

Conclusion: We presented this article, to update our information about gastrointestinal anthrax and other anthrax types which are become a current issue again especially due to bioterrorism and also to keep it in mind in the differential diagnosis although it is rarely seen in our stock raising areas.