Visual Diagnosis in Emergency MedicineCutaneous Anthrax
Section snippets
Case 1
A 34-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with complaints of sores and swelling in the right forearm for a week. The initial lesion was like an itchy insect bite; however, it progressed into a swelling in the forearm within a week. Diffuse subcutaneous edema started from the elbow, extending to the distal right upper extremity with black bullae at the dorsum of the right hand (Figure 1A and B).
Case 2
A 33-year-old woman presented 2 days after the first case with the complaint of
Discussion
Anthrax is a zoonotic infection caused by spores of Bacillus anthracis, which is a Gram-positive rod (1). Transmission of the disease, from animal to human, occurs via direct contact (cutaneous anthrax, 95%), ingestion of infected raw meat (gastrointestinal anthrax), or inhalation (pulmonary anthrax) during slaughtering or processing the animal products (2). Cutaneous anthrax usually presents as a pruritic painless papule resembling an insect bite. Later, the papule broadens and becomes an
References (3)
- et al.
Cutaneous anthrax patients: evaluation of four family members
Eurasian J Emerg Med
(2016)