First case of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax, Florida, 2001: North Carolina investigation

Abstract

The index case of inhalational anthrax in October 2001 was in a man who lived and worked in Florida. However, during the 3 days before illness onset, the patient had traveled through North Carolina, raising the possibility that exposure to Bacillus anthracis spores could have occurred there. The rapid response in North Carolina included surveillance among hospital intensive-care units, microbiology laboratories, medical examiners, and veterinarians, and site investigations at locations visited by the index patient to identify the naturally occurring or bioterrorism-related source of his exposure.

Figure

Decision analysis developed during the North Carolina investigation for identifying and evaluating patients with possible systemic anthrax. PCR, polymerase chain reaction.