Cutaneous anthrax: evaluation of 28 cases in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey

Denk, Affan; Tartar, Ayşe Sağmak; Özden, Mehmet; Demir, Betül; Akbulut, Ayhan

doi:10.3109/15569527.2015.1067818

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Our study demostrated a similar time pattern as reported in the literature, with the majority of the cases occurring in summer and autumn [9]. Similar to previous studies, exposed skin sites such as the hands, forearms and fingers were mostly affected following a minor abrasion [2,10,11].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In the majority , there was a history of contact with an infected animal or animal products. People are usually exposed to infectious anthrax agent while harvesting crops, butchering/slaughtering animals, processing/handling meat, cutting meat and skinning [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Our study demostrated a similar time pattern as reported in the literature, with the majority of the cases occurring in summer and autumn [9].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…People were afraid of losing their animals according to the 'National Protection and Fight Guidelines Against Anthrax,' so they preferred to conceal the disease even when they had the opportunity to obtain more sophisticated medical help and treatment in the city center. While in general, the disease occurs equally in women and men in rural areas [2,[6][7], in this study it was more common in females, especially in housewives. This was similar to the findings in another study in a rural area [15].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 47%

“…Anthrax, a zoonotic infectious disease caused by an aerobic, Gram-positive, endosporeforming bacterium as Bacillus anthracis is an important endemic public health disease encountered in countries of the Americas, Australasia, Africa and Europe [1,2]. Anthrax is an illness of animal husbandry, disseminated during the slaughtering and skinning of affected animals, the feeding of infected meat, and processing of livestock products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suspected cutaneous anthrax in rural areas

Öztürk

2019

J Infect Dev Ctries

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Introduction: Cutaneous anthrax (CA), a zoonotic infectious disease is an important endemic public health disease in rural areas around the world, accounting for 95% of anthrax cases. Methodology: Fifty patients with CA were diagnosed by the presence of characteristic skin lesions and positive response to treatment. Twenty-nine patients had been treated with oral ciprofloxacin or doxycyclin for 14 days and 21 patients had been treated with intramuscular procaine penicillin for 7 days. The demographic risk factors, characteristics and treatment of CA in rural areas were evaluated. The responses to two different systemic medications were compared using χ2 test. Results: Twenty-two males and 28 females were included in this study. The predominant skin lesions were black eschar, ulcer and swelling of the skin. The predilection sites were the hand and fingers. The most common route of contamination for both male and female patients was handling raw meat. The most common occupation was housewife for female patients and animal industry for male patients. The patients under ciprofloxacin or doxycyclin administration responded better to treatment; pain at lesion site and new lesions at the time of treatment were significantly lower. Secondary infection appeared to be higher in patients under procaine penicillin administration, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: In rural areas that lack medical facilities with diagnostic tools, in the presence of black eschar, rapid diagnosis and treatment of CA is essential. The administration of a broad-spectrum antibiotic is recommended as the first line treatment of suspected CA.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 47%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suspected cutaneous anthrax in rural areas

Öztürk

2019

J Infect Dev Ctries

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“…Despite painless pruritic papule and animal exposure history is very typical for the diagnosis, the diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax requires suspicion. Definitive diagnosis is set by gram stain and microbiological analysis of lesion [6]. Painless papule and vesicles are well defined as clinical findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uncommon Tissue Defects of Upper Extremities: Bacillus Antracis

Akdağ¹,

Yıldıran²,

Sütçü³

et al. 2016

MPS

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Introduction: Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis spores. Cutaneous form is the most common and the least fatal form of the disease, however the disease is uncommon in Europe and U.S. and the reports in the literature are mostly case reports for upper extremity. Case Series: 7 patients, who were treated between 1999 and 2015 in our clinic with the diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax in their upper extremity, were included to our study. 3 patients applied directly to plastic surgery, others were consulted from the infectious disease clinics. Reconstructions were done with skin grafts or secondarily. Discussion: Anthrax causes cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalation forms of the disease. Despite being very rare in Europe and US, in Turkey there are many reported anthrax cases. However, cutaneous anthrax of upper extremity is reported rarely in the literature. Painless papule and vesicles are well defined as clinical findings. In anthrax, the excision of skin lesions or biopsies is contraindicated because of the risk of systemic spread. Conclusion: Despite cutaneous anthrax of the hand and upper extremity is very rare, the diagnosis is easy because of the typical presentation and history. Once the definitive diagnosis is set, the treatment is effortless with the antibiotherapy and first steps of the reconstruction ladder.

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