Anthrax history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]
Overview
Anthrax causes a wide variety of symptoms, depending on the type of the disease: 1) the cutaneous type may include a skin blister, which evolves into an ulcer with a black center, muscle pains, fever and vomiting; 2) the gastrointestinal type may include fever, chills, sore throat, painful swallowing and abdominal pain; 3) the inhalation type may include fever and chills, fatigue, sore throat and shortness of breath; 4) the injection type may include: fever, chills, skin ulcer and subcutaneous or muscular abscess.
History
Common Symptoms
The symptoms of anthrax may be different, depending on the type of the disease:[1]
Cutaneous
- Most common form, commonly contracted when someone has a cut on the skin that is infected by the anthrax spore
- First symptom is a small sore that develops into a blister. It will then develop into a skin ulcer with a black area at the center. These lesions do not hurt and are concomitant with the following symptoms:
Gastrointestinal
Generally occurs after eating meat from an infected animal. The first symptoms are similar to food poisoning, and may include:
- Fever and chills
- Flushing and red eyes
- Headache
- Fainting
- Sore throat
- Painful swallowing
- Hoarseness
- Swelling of neck or neck glands
- Nausea and vomiting, especially bloody vomiting
- Diarrhea or bloody diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Swelling of abdomen
Inhalation or Pulmonary
- The rarest but most severe form of anthrax
- Commonly occurs after inhalation of anthrax spores
- First symptoms of inhalation anthrax are similar to cold or flu symptoms and can include:
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Body pain
- Cough
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
- Chest discomfort
- Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains
- Confusion or dizziness
- Sweats
- Cannot be transmitted from person to person, since it can only be contracted by direct inhalation of the anthrax spores
Injection anthrax
- Symptoms are usually similar to the ones of cutaneous anthrax, however, the disease may spread through the body faster
- Fever and chills
- Small blisters or bumps usually itchy, on the injection site
- Painless skin ulcer with a black center that appears after the blisters or bumps
- Swelling around the ulcer
- Subcutaneous or intramuscular abscess on the site of injection