07/22/25 Public Health Education Topic: Anthrax

Per CDC

Key points

• Anthrax can cause severe illness in both people and animals.

• The bacteria that cause anthrax occurs naturally in soil worldwide.

• People usually get anthrax from infected animals or contaminated animal products.

• Call a healthcare provider immediately if you think you have been exposed to anthrax.

Types

The type of illness a person develops depends on how anthrax enters the body: through the skin, lungs, or gastrointestinal system. All types of anthrax can cause death if they're not treated with antibiotics.

Cutaneous anthrax

Cutaneous anthrax happens when anthrax spores get into a cut or scape on the skin when a person handles infected animals or contaminated animal products like wool, hides, or hair. It mostly shows up on the head, neck, forearms, and hands. It's the most common form of anthrax infection, and it's also considered to be the least dangerous.

Inhalation anthrax

Inhalation anthrax can occur when a person breathes in anthrax spores. It's the deadliest form of the disease. People who work in places such as wool mills, slaughterhouses, and tanneries may breathe in the spores when working with infected animals or contaminated animal products. Inhalation anthrax starts primarily in the lymph nodes in the chest before spreading throughout the rest of the body.

Gastrointestinal anthrax

This type of anthrax can happen when a person eats raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal. It has rarely been reported in the United States. It affects the upper gastrointestinal tract (throat and esophagus), stomach, and intestines, causing a wide variety of symptoms.

Welder's anthrax

Welder's anthrax is a newly identified and rare disease that has been found in several people who are welders or metalworkers. This disease causes severe pneumonia and can be fatal. If you are a welder or metalworker and you develop fever and chills with sudden cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood, see a healthcare provider immediately.

Injection anthrax

Injection anthrax recently was identified in heroin-injecting drug users in northern Europe, but it hasn't been reported in the United States. Injection anthrax is similar to cutaneous anthrax and causes infection deep under the skin or in the muscle where the drug was injected.

Diagnosing anthrax

If you've been exposed to anthrax, see a healthcare provider immediately and explain how you may have been exposed. It's important to get medical care as quickly as possible to have the best chances for a full recovery. Doctors can prescribe antibiotics to prevent you from getting sick, or as treatment if you're already sick. There is no test to find out if you have been exposed to anthrax. Public health departments will have to do an investigation to see if and how you were exposed.

For a list of symptoms and additional information please visit: About Anthrax | Anthrax | CDC