Evaluation of 23 cutaneous anthrax patients in eastern Anatolia, Turkey: diagnosis and risk factors
Küçük Resim Yok
Tarih
2008
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Wiley
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Özet
Background Anthrax is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease. The diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax (CA) may be very difficult, particularly in atypical presentations and nonendemic regions. Aim To evaluate the clinical features and diagnostic difficulties of 23 anthrax cases seen between May 2004 and September 2006. Methods Twenty-three patients with CA were included in this study. The diagnosis of CA was based on clinical findings and/or microbiologic procedures. Results All patients with a diagnosis of CA were followed up. One patient experienced toxemic shock. Twenty-two patients had a history of animal contact. Only one patient did not recall any history of suspicious contact. The clinical presentation of CA was typical in 20 patients (87%). Two patients were initially misdiagnosed with insect bites and one patient with angioedema. Cultures from the lesions were positive for Bacillus anthracis in seven cases (30.4%). Gram stain from the lesions revealed Gram-positive rods in eight cases (34.8%). Fifteen patients (65.2%) were diagnosed by clinical presentation and a history of contact with sick animals and/or contaminated animal products. Conclusions CA is a very contagious and important infectious disease worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis dramatically affects the prognosis of the disease. The diagnosis of CA may be difficult, especially in atypical presentations and nonendemic areas. Thus, CA should be kept in mind, especially in these situations.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Bacillus-Anthracis, Management, Adults
Kaynak
International Journal of Dermatology
WoS Q Değeri
Q3
Scopus Q Değeri
Q2
Cilt
47
Sayı
10
