Cutaneous anthrax in a remote tribal area--Araku Valley, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, southern India
Rao, G.Raghu.Rama.; Padmaja, J.; Lalitha, M.K.; Rao, P.V.Krishna.; Kumar, H.Kishan.; Gopal, K.V.T.; Jaideep, M.; Mohanraj, P.
International Journal of Dermatology 46(1): 55-58
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 0011-9059
PMID: 17214721
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2006.03043.x
Accession: 048699530
On 18 June 2005, six tribal people (4 men and 2 women) were brought to the Department of Dermatology, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India with painless ulcers with surrounding vesiculation and oedema on their hands of 3 days' duration. Two week earlier, one of their goats died of a sudden illness and these individuals were involved in slaughtering, cooking and eating it. After 10 days they started developing skin lesions. On the basis of the history of contact with an infected carcass and characteristic clinical features, a diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax were made. All the patients were treated with intravenous ciprofloxacin 400 mg every 12 hours along with oral amoxicillin 500 mg every 8 hours for the first 5 days, followed by oral ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice a day and amoxicillin 500 mg every 8 hours for 2 weeks. Microscopic examination of smears from the vesicles from all the patients revealed Gram positive bacilli. Culture of samples and polymerase chain reaction studies of biopsy specimens confirmed Bacillus anthracis infection. Response to treatment was good in all patients.