Systemic anthrax following inhalation/pulmonary exposure demands urgent, structured management in the pediatric setting. This protocol covers empiric treatment for children aged 1 month to less than 18 years with systemic anthrax, including presentations complicated by meningitis.
Children aged 1 month to less than 18 years presenting with systemic anthrax (inhalation/pulmonary route), with or without meningitis.
The preferred regimen involves a combination of bactericidal agents from different antimicrobial classes together with an adjunctive antitoxin — the full structured protocol, including drug selection, dosing, and duration, is accessible below.
Empiric treatment regimens for children aged >1 month to <18 years with systemic anthrax with or without meningitis (Table 14) are summarized as follows:
Antimicrobial drugs: Choose two bactericidal drugs from different antimicrobial drug classes plus a PSI or an RNAI.
Antitoxin: Choose a single antitoxin as adjunctive therapy.
Duration of antimicrobial drug treatment should be for 2 weeks or longer; however, duration can be shortened and IV administration transitioned to oral medication based on patient improvement and clinical judgment.
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