Anthrax Infection : cause, treatment, side effects

According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), anthrax can be defined as “an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis.” Majority of the Americans believe that Anthrax came from a terrorist attack. However, it was spread due to the consumption of infected or unhygienically cooked beef, meat, chicken etc. and contact with the animals including the following:

• Camels
• Goats
• Sheep
• Cattle
• Antelopes

Development of Anthrax

The three types of anthrax are intestinal anthrax, cutaneous anthrax and inhalation anthrax. Cutaneous anthrax is one of the most common types of anthrax infection. Nearly 95 percent of the people suffer from this type of anthrax infection. An individual with an open abrasion or wound develops anthrax infection after coming in contact with the following:

• Anthrax-infected wool
• Leather
• Animal skin
• Infected animal hair
• Contaminated animal hides

An individual infected with the cutaneous infection will show the following symptoms:

• Painless ulcers on skin
• Ulcers become black necrotic in the center
• Death, though it occurs in only 20 per cent of the cases
• Swelling and edema of tissues
• Raised itchy bumps

Most of the Americans are worried about the inhaled anthrax caused due to bioterrorist attacks.  Unfortunately inhaled anthrax results in death and according to the Center for Disease and Control, “even with aggressive antibiotic and supportive therapy 45 percent of inhalation anthrax cases” may become fatal. Following are the symptoms of inhaled anthrax:

• Rigorous breathing trouble
• Symptoms of common cold
• Shock
• Death

Intestinal anthrax is caused due to the consumption of infected or contaminated meat. It results into death nearly 25 to 30 percent. Following are the symptoms of intestinal anthrax:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Lesions in throat
• Vomiting
• Severe diarrhea
• Swelling of lymph glands and neck
• Vomiting of blood

Anthrax Treatment

Individuals who are at an increased risk of developing anthrax infection can obtain anthrax vaccine. BioPort develops anthrax injections. This vaccine is a “free cell filtrate”. It means that neither it contains live nor dead anthrax bacteria. Other treatments come in antibiotic forms. According to the Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve following three antibiotics for the treatment of anthrax:

• Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• Penicillin
• Doxycycline

Side Effects Caused by the use of Cipro

FDA has recently approved Cipro for the treatment in both the children and adults. However, Cipro has been linked with various side effects including Achilles tendon rupture and tendonitis. Though, the FDA approved Cipro, but within a period of a month, it issued Black box warning on all the fluoroquinolone drug including Cipro. Black box warning is one the harshest warning given by FDA. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), there are other severe side effects linked with the consumption of Cipro including the following:

• Anxiety
• Indigestion
• Feeling of distrust
• Headache
• Agitation
• Nausea
• Stomach pain and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abnormal dreams
• Staying asleep
• Nervousness

The above-mentioned side effects of consuming Cipro are considered as mild normal side effects. However, according to NLM, following are the severe side effects linked with the use of Cipro:

·         Fever

·         Jaundice

·         Confusion

·         Depression

·         Numbness

·         Dizziness/double vision

·         Itching, blisters, hives and rashes

·         Joint and muscle pain

·         Body weakness and burning sensation

·         Hoarseness

·         Suicidal tendencies

·         Loss of appetite

·         Hallucinations

·         Bleeding of body

·         Fainting

·         Seizures

·         Bleeding of body

·         Tiredness

·         Swelling of neck, lips, limbs, eyes, lower legs, face and eyes

Individuals, who believe that they are suffering from any of the above-mentioned side effects, should immediately consult a doctor to get timely treatment.