malignant pustule
Noun: 1. A specific, severe form of cutaneous anthrax: It is an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis that enters through a break in the skin. The defining characteristic is a skin lesion that progresses from a small, raised bump (papule) to a blister (vesicle) and then to a painless ulcer with a black center (eschar), accompanied by severe systemic symptoms of blood poisoning.
- Noun:
- The veterinarian diagnosed the rancher's skin lesion as a malignant pustule after he handled an infected animal.
- Before the era of antibiotics, a malignant pustule was a frequently fatal condition.
- The presence of a black eschar is a classic sign of malignant pustule.
- Medical Terminology: In clinical and epidemiological contexts, "malignant pustule" is a historical and descriptive term for the most common form of human anthrax (cutaneous anthrax). It emphasizes the lesion's appearance and severe, often lethal ("malignant") course if untreated.
- Contextual Note: While "pustule" typically implies a pus-filled lesion, the anthrax lesion itself is not primarily pus-filled but rather characterized by edema (swelling) and necrosis (tissue death), leading to the black eschar.
- Cutaneous anthrax (n): The modern medical term for the condition described as malignant pustule. It is more precise as it specifies the route of infection (through the skin/cutis).
- Anthrax (n): The broader disease caused by , which can manifest as cutaneous (skin), inhalation, or gastrointestinal forms.
- Cutaneous anthrax: (Direct synonym, modern clinical term)
- Anthrax skin lesion: (Descriptive synonym)
- To develop a malignant pustule: To contract the infection and show its characteristic symptom.
- Individuals handling contaminated wool or animal hides may develop a malignant pustule.
- Diagnosis/treatment of malignant pustule: Used in medical discussion.
- Early antibiotic treatment is crucial for malignant pustule.
The term "malignant" in this context does not refer to cancer, but to the historically severe and often fatal nature of the infection. "Pustule" is a somewhat misleading description of the actual lesion, which is why the term "cutaneous anthrax" or "anthrax eschar" is preferred in contemporary medicine. The definition highlights the progression of the skin lesion and the severe systemic symptoms of septicemia (blood poisoning) that follow.
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a form of anthrax infection that begins as papule that becomes a vesicle and breaks with a discharge of toxins; symptoms of septicemia are severe with vomiting and high fever and profuse sweating; the infection is often fatal
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