Field investigation and response to a cutaneous anthrax epidemic in Dezhou, Shandong

  Objective  In July 2022, a cutaneous anthrax outbreak occurred in Lingcheng district of Dezhou, Shandong province. Field investigation and response were conducted to find the cause of the outbreak and control the outbreak, and provide reference for the prevention and control of similar outbreaks.

  Methods  Field epidemiological investigation, infectious source tracking, suspected case finding, sampling and testing, field disinfection, health education were conducted and comprehensive prevention and control measures for the anthrax epidemic were suggested.

  Results  The investigation found that the source of infection of the epidemic was dead sick cattle. Three cases of cutaneous anthrax occurred in this outbreak, PCR detection was conducted for 304 samples of dead sick cattle, including beef, offal and hide, in which 82 positive samples were detected, and 12 strains of B. anthracis were isolated. The infected cattle products and the cattle that died during the epidemic response were burned and buried deeply, and the two live cattle that were positive for B. anthracis by PCR were killed, burned and buried deeply.

  Conclusion  The three cases of cutaneous anthrax in this epidemic were infected due to the exposure to the environment where two dead cattle infected with B. anthracis were processed. It is important to control the source of infection in time and conduct thorough disinfection of the related products and environment for the control of anthrax epidemic.