Anthrax
ICD-10 A22 · ICD-11 1B97

Treatment of Anthrax in Gastrointestinal Anthrax

Gastrointestinal anthrax is defined as a form of systemic anthrax. This page outlines the first-line management approach for this specific presentation.

Clinical Scenario

This protocol applies to gastrointestinal anthrax, recognised as a defining presentation of systemic anthrax.

Treatment approach: Empiric combination therapy with two antibiotics is recommended in this setting. The first antibiotic is selected based on local penicillin susceptibility data; the second is chosen according to the specific clinical presentation. The complete agent selection, dosing, and duration requirements are defined in the full protocol.
Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

Systemic anthrax is defined as any of the following: 2) Gastrointestinal anthrax.

In the presence of any of these scenarios, empiric combination therapy with two antibiotics is recommended.

The first agent should be selected from ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, or penicillin G, based on local penicillin susceptibility patterns (Table 4).

The second agent should be chosen according to the clinical presentation: intravenous clindamycin for inhalation or injection-related anthrax, oral clindamycin for severe cutaneous anthrax, or intravenous gentamicin for gastrointestinal anthrax.

View source ↗