While Gl and Pulmonary Anthrax have a mortality rate of up

Last updated: 8/7/2022

While Gl and Pulmonary Anthrax have a mortality rate of up to 99% the mortality rate of cutaneous anthrax is lower. How can this be explained? The pathogen has a capsule to avoid phagocytosis but there are no WBCs in the skin to track down the pathogen. The pathogen is resistant to antibiotics so is difficult to treat in the lungs or gut. The pathogen produces a toxin that cannot penetrate the skin but is toxic in the lungs. The pathogen can be identified by the eschar notifying patients to seek treatment.