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- Treat mild cutaneous anthrax with oral antibiotics.
- Treat inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease with two or three iv antibiotics.
| | Drug Treatment for Anthrax (table)
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Treat mild cutaneous anthrax with oral antibiotics.  |
- In patients with no signs of systemic disease (fever, chills, shortness of breath, positive blood culture result), treat cutaneous anthrax on the extremities with ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or penicillin for 7 to 10 days and those with lesions on the face or neck with these same antibiotics for 60 days.
- In patients with cutaneous anthrax associated with a bioterrorist attack, treat with 60 days of oral antibiotic therapy, and consider administering the anthrax vaccine (see section on Prevention).
- In patients with signs and symptoms of systemic disease such as fever, dyspnea, or nuchal rigidity, treat cutaneous anthrax on the face or neck with two or three iv antibiotics, regardless of the lesions.
- See table Drug Treatment for Anthrax.
| Background | Back to top
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Treat inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease with two or three iv antibiotics.  |
- Treat inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease with intravenous ciprofloxacin or doxycycline and one or two additional antibiotics such as rifampin, vancomycin, penicillin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, imipenem, clindamycin, and clarithromycin.
- Treat anthrax meningitis with ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol, rifampin, or penicillin, but do not use ciprofloxacin alone because of its poor CSF penetration.
- Assume antibiotic resistance to penicillin and tetracycline if a bioterrorist attack is suspected and do not use these alone in treatment.
- Treat pregnant women and children with a similar regimen but:
- Avoid doxycycline and chloramphenicol in pregnant women
- Avoid ciprofloxacin in children under age 12
- Treat inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease for 60 days.
- Consider vaccinating patients treated for inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease with anthrax vaccine, but be prepared for the increased likelihood of a severe local reaction.
- Do not delay treatment of suspected inhalational anthrax, anthrax meningitis, gastrointestinal anthrax, and severe cutaneous disease in persons in a high-risk group during a bioterrorist attack.
- See table Drug Treatment for Anthrax.
| Background | Back to top
| | | FAQs |
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| Barbara Robinson-Dunn, PhD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Demetrios N. Kyriacou, MD, PhD, editorial consultant, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Niklas Mackler, MD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Sandro Cinti, MD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. |
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Anthrax
