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Document ID (ISN)66128
CIS number 96-367
ISSN - Serial title 0140-6736 - Lancet
Year 1996
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Breathnach A.S., Turnbull P.C.B., Eykyn S.J., Twort C.H.C.
Title A labourer with a spot on his chest
Bibliographic information 13 Jan. 1996, vol.347, No.8994, p.96. Illus. 1 ref.
Abstract A case study is presented of a casual labourer with a chest lesion which was attributed to a sting or bite during recent work in a ventilation shaft. Despite treatment, the lesion progressed and the patient also developed jaundice and renal impairment. The initial diagnosis was a streptococcal infection but blood cultures later yielded an organism identified as Bacillus anthracis. Enquiries revealed that the labourer had recently worked in a leather firm and had removed his shirt while lifting hides. The rarity of anthrax in the United Kingdom and the misleading occupational history resulted in misdiagnosis.
Descriptors (primary) bacterial diseases; leather and fur industries; anthrax
Descriptors (secondary) diagnosis; case study
Document type D - Periodical articles
Country / State or ProvinceUnited Kingdom
Subject(s) Occupational pathology
Broad subject area(s) Biological hazards
Browse category(ies) Footwear, leather and fur industry
Bacterial and parasitic diseases