Probable Case of Cutaneous Anthrax with Toxic Manifestations and Fatality seen in an adolescent in Sokoto, Nigeria: A postmortem review.

Background: Anthrax is a life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Case report: A 14-year-old boy presented with skin lesions of one month involving the hands, face, and legs, left lower limb swelling of two weeks, fever of 10 days, and fast breathing of five days duration. There was a positive history of contact with cattle carcasses at the abattoir. He was febrile (38.1 Result treatment & outcome: His packed cell volume was 33%, retroviral screening, and hepatitis screening were nonreactive, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 3mm/hr. Leg X-ray was normal. Other investigations could not be done due to financial constraints and the patient's demise. He received intravenous (IV) fluid, IV ceftriaxone, IV metronidazole, tetanus toxoid, and antiseptic wound dressing. He succumbed to the illness 72 hours later. Anthrax was considered after the patient's demise due to the type of skin lesion and progression of the illness in line with the standard case definition. Conclusion: Cutaneous anthrax with systemic manifestations should be considered as a probable diagnosis in patients with typical skin lesions and toxic features.