Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiologic findings of alimentary anthrax.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 19 patients with alimentary anthrax, which was caused by ingestion of contaminated
beef, were included in this study. The diagnosis was made .b.y demonstration of Bacillus anthracis in
smear and culture of the contaminated meat. We evaluated the clinical manifestations and the findings of thoracic,
abdominal radiographs, cervical, abdominal ultrasonograms and abdominal CT scans.
RESULTS: Out of the 19 patients with the alimentary infection, 9 had oropharyngeal form, 18 had abdominal
form and 8 had combination of oropharyngeal and abdominal form.
The patients had general symptoms and signs such as fever, chill, myalgia. Clinical symptoms and signs
were sore throat, throat injection, throat ulcer and patch in oropharyngeal form, and nausea, vomiting, abdominal
pain, diarrhea, and gross GI bleeding in abdominal form. Radiologic findings included enlarged cervical
lymph nodes(36%) in oropharyngeal form, and paralytic ileus(26%), ascites(26%), hepatomegaly(21%), enlarged
mesenteric lymph nodes(26%), small bowel wall thickening(5%) in abdominal form. In two patients, late
complications occurred as intestinal obstruction due to ileal stricture with perforation, and inflammatory
changes of pelvic cavity due to ileovesical fistula.
CONCLUSION: Radiologic findings of alimentary anthrax are difficult in differentiation from those of other
inflammatory bowel disease, but those radiologic findings with clinical manifestations may be helpful in diagnosis
and evaluation of disease process in patients with alimentary anthrax.