This report describes a 49-year-old male construction worker who acquired a Bacillus anthracis infection after working on a sheep farm. He experienced a severe respiratory infection, septic shock, and hemorrhagic meningoencephalitis with severe intracranial hypertension. After several weeks with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, he responded favorably to antibiotic treatment. Three weeks into his hospitalization, an intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral edema led to an abrupt deterioration in his neurological status. A single dose of raxibacumab was added to his antimicrobial regimen on hospital day 27. His overall status, both clinical and radiographic, improved within a few days. He was discharged 2 months after admission and appears to have fully recovered.
Keywords: Bacillus anthracis; anthrax; antitoxin; inhalation anthrax; meningitis.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America 2022. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.