Healthy 18-year-old welder nearly died of anthrax-the 9th such puzzling case
Ars Technica••general
Key Points:
- A ninth case of "welder’s anthrax," a rare and often fatal infection linked to Bacillus cereus group bacteria producing anthrax toxins, was reported in an 18-year-old welder apprentice in Louisiana in September 2024.
- The patient developed severe pneumonia and respiratory failure but recovered quickly after receiving anthrax antitoxin and antibiotics, a treatment made possible by early diagnosis and access to the US Strategic National Stockpile.
- Since 1997, all nine known cases of this infection have occurred exclusively in metalworkers, primarily welders, and are thought to be linked to inhalation of toxic metal fumes combined with exposure to anthrax-toxin-producing bacteria found in their work environments.
- Environmental sampling at the
