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Cutaneous anthrax

Anthrax is usually contracted through contact with animals that harbor the anthrax bacterium. The cutaneous form is transmitted through a break in the skin and may spread through the bloodstream, causing shock and collapse. Early and aggressive treatment with antibiotics is effective.

Reviewed last on: 5/30/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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Cutaneous anthrax