Cutaneous Bacillus anthracis Infection

To the Editor: We report the case of an otherwise healthy 34-year-old man, employed in the mailroom of a New York City daily newspaper, who presented with a rapidly growing nodule over the flexor surface of his left forearm (Figure 1). He stated that the lesion had begun as a “pimple” six days earlier. Initially, the lesion was pruritic and erythematous. Within 24 hours, the pruritis resolved and the nodule developed a central black eschar. The patient said that he had no fever, chills, or respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms. Because of both the characteristics of the lesion and the diagnosis . . .