Strategies for preventing illness after exposure: inhalational anthrax, part 2: prevention and treatment.

When untreated, inhalational anthrax typically results in a rapidly fatal illness. Evidence suggests that both the anthrax vaccine and prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin or doxycycline are effective in preventing illness after inhalational anthrax exposure. The current anthrax vaccine appears to have an adverse-effect profile that is similar to that of other adult vaccines. For patients with active infection, the CDC recommends a multi-antibiotic regimen that should include doxycycline or a fluoroquinolone and 2 additional antibiotics that have protein or RNA synthesis inhibition, such as rifampin and clindamycin. Monoclonal antibodies directed against anthrax toxins may also play a role in treating active infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]