At least five men have contracted cutaneous anthrax after slaughtering an infected cow in Vadul lui Isac village of Cahul district, Moldova.
According to a IPN Society report, the men were admitted to the Chisinau Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases “Toma Ciorba” with anthrax.
Public health officials sought out the men after one patient, a 47-year-old man was diagnosed with suspected anthrax. He said he and another four men slaughtered a calf at a private farm in mid-August. He presented with symptoms of cutaneous anthrax at the end of the month.
A group of experts was sent to Cahul to examine the circumstances of the appearance of this infection and to take measures.
Cutaneous anthrax occurs when the spore (or possibly the bacterium) enters a cut or abrasion on the skin. It starts out as a raised bump that looks like an insect bite. It then develops into a blackened lesion called an eschar that may form a scab. Lymph glands in the area may swell plus edema may be present. This form of anthrax responds well to antibiotics. If untreated, deaths can occur if the infection goes systemic. 95% of cases of anthrax are cutaneous. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
