Anthrax CDC

Anthrax is an acute bacterial disease usually affecting the skin, and rarely involving the respiratory or intestinal tracts. Most forms of the disease are lethal. Anthrax affects both humans and other animals. Anthrax has an acute onset characterized by several clinical forms. These include:
1. Localized form (cutaneous): skin lesion usually on an exposed part of the body such as the face, the neck or arm, evolving over 7 days from a papular through a vesicular stage, to a depressed black eschar invariably accompanied by edema that may be mild to extensive
Systemic forms
2.1. pulmonary (inhalation), characterized by brief prodrome resembling acute viral respiratory illness, followed by rapid onset of hypoxia, dyspnea, and high temperature , with Chest X-ray evidence of mediastinal widening.
2.2. Gastro-intestinal: characterized by abdominal distress, with nausea, vomiting, anorexia and followed by fever.
2.3. Meningeal: acute onset of high fever possibly with convulsions, loss of consciousness, meningeal signs and symptoms, commonly noted in all systemic infection