This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Chemoprophylaxis

Authoring team

Seek expert advice.

If an outbreak of cutaneous anthrax occurs then chemoprophylaxis should be initiated as soon as possible to give immediate protection to those at risk:

  • recommended prophylaxis after exposure to B. anthracis are as follows
  • adults(includingpregnant women) - for 60 days
    • initial (5 day) therapy - Ciprofloxacin500mg orally every 12 hr
    • further (55 day) therapy - Ciprofloxacin500mg orally every 12 hr OR Doxycycline100mg orally every 12 hr
    • alternative therapy if strain is susceptible - Amoxicillin500mg orally three times daily
  • children - for 60 days
    • initial (5 day) therapy - Ciprofloxacin15mg/kg orally (maximum 500mg) every 12 hr (not to exceed 1g per day)
    • further (55 day) therapy - Ciprofloxacin15mg/kg orally (maximum 500mg) every 12 hr (not to exceed 1g per day) OR Doxycycline100mg every 12hr (NB: only for children > 8yrs and >45kg:
    • alternative therapy if strain is susceptible - Amoxicillin, 80mg/kg per day, in three doses (not to exceed 500mg/ dose)

In certain instances, post exposure immunisation may be indicated in addition to antimicrobial prophylaxis.

  • three doses of vaccine at 0, 3 and 6 weeks after exposure should be administered (with added doses at 6 months and 1 year if there is continued exposure)
  • post-exposure antibiotic prophylaxis can be reduced to 4 weeks with vaccination
  • prompt post-exposure prophylaxis with antibiotics and vaccine appears to be highly effective

There is no need to provide antibiotic prophylaxis or immunisation to contacts of patients unless there is concern that they were also exposed to the initial release.

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.