title: [The return of anthrax. From bioterrorism to the zoonotic cluster of Sciacca district].
abstract: Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis which affects herbivorous animals. Humans acquire the disease incidentally by exposure to infected animals, animal products or spores on soil. The infection is still endemic in many regions in developing countries. In Italy animal clusters are very rare and human cases are exceptional. Bacillus anthrax is also a potential source for acts of bioterrorism. In the natural human infection, cutaneous anthrax is the most widespread, while the other two, pulmonary and gastrointestinal anthrax, are very rare forms. We describe the first case of human anthrax occurring in western Sicily in the last twenty years. The cutaneous lesion healed without significant scarring after antibiotic treatment with tigecycline, rifampin and ciprofloxacin. Following our diagnosis, a cluster of bovine anthrax was detected in the district of Sciacca, causing the death of 13 animals. A larger outbreak was avoided by the vaccination of over 5000 herbivores.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per la Promozione della Salute, Sezione di Malattie Infettive, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarlata
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colletti
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonura
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trizzino
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Lucina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Titone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D023482:Bioterrorism; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D006041:Goats; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D012424:Rural Population; D012756:Sheep; D014611:Vaccination / Q000662:veterinary; D015047:Zoonoses