Symptoms
The symptoms of anthrax disease vary depending on the route of exposure to anthrax.
Cutaneous anthrax
- Initial symptoms include an itchy, reddish-brown lesion that typically appears on the exposed skin surface approximately 1 to 12 days after the spores enter a cut, abrasion, or open sore on the skin. The lesion quickly develops into a small, fluid-filled bump.
- In the next stage of disease progression, the vesicle ruptures and leaves a painless ulcer that typically has a black area in the center and swollen surrounding tissue.
- Other associated symptoms include swollen glands, fever, muscle aches, malaise, vomiting, and headache.
- Without treatment, the fatality rate of cutaneous anthrax is estimated to be approximately 20%.
Gastrointestinal anthrax
- The first symptoms usually appear within 1 to 7 days of ingesting contaminated food. These include nausea, fever, loss of appetite, severe stomach pain, vomiting of blood, and bloody diarrhea.
- The fatality rate of gastrointestinal anthrax is estimated to be 25% to 60% without treatment.
Inhalational anthrax
- Initial symptoms are generally non-specific and resemble that of the common cold — sore throat, mild fever, muscle aches, coughing, and chest discomfort lasting a few days.
- The second stage develops abruptly, with symptoms such as sudden onset of fever, acute respiratory distress with abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, shock, and coma.
- Meningitis is also commonly seen as the disease progresses.
- Even with aggressive, intensive care, fatality rates of inhalational anthrax is approximately 45% to 90%.
BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) is indicated for the active immunization of individuals between 18 and 65 years of age at high risk of exposure to anthrax. BioThrax is not licensed for use in a post-exposure setting. The safety and efficacy of BioThrax have not been established in pregnant women, nursing mothers, pediatric populations or geriatric populations.
