Cutaneous Anthrax of the lip: a Case Report in a 1 Year Old Infant

Faria Hasanzadeh Haghighi; Hadi Farsiani; Pouran Layegh; Mina Mostafavi; Mohammad Hassan Aelami

doi:10.18502/crcp.v8i3.14237

Faria Hasanzadeh Haghighi Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Hadi Farsiani Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Pouran Layegh Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Mina Mostafavi Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Mohammad Hassan Aelami Department of Pediatrics & Hand Hygiene and Infection Control Research Center Faculty of Medicine, Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/crcp.v8i3.14237

Keywords: Cutaneous anthrax; Bacillus anthracis; Infant

Abstract

Anthrax is a deadly, contagious bacterial infection. Skin anthrax is most frequent. Anthrax is a work-related illness, so it’s rare among kids. Children’s symptoms are similar to adults. In this article, we introduce a one-year-old infant who developed cutaneous anthrax due to contact with contaminated broth with a sore on the corner of the lip. A 1-yearinfant from a village in Quchan, North-east Iran, with a swollen lesion with dark brown to black crust on its surface on the left side of upper lip presented to Akbar’s Children Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, in January 2021. Bacillus anthracis was seen in direct smear of wounds with Gram staining though the sample culture result was negative. Mortality from cutaneous anthrax can be up to 20%. Therefore, timely use of antibiotics is quite effective in decreasing mortality and reducing the effects of bacterial spread in the blood.