Case 14 CONFIRMED

On October 19, enhanced regional surveillance activities (a collaborative effort between DCDOH, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Virginia Department of Health) identified a case of pulmonary illness in a postal worker. The man, sought medical care at a Virginia hospital for fever, chills, chest heaviness, malaise, and minimally productive cough of 3 days' duration. Initial evaluation in the emergency department (ED) revealed a widened mediastinum on a chest radiograph; a subsequent CT scan revealed mediastinal lymphadenopathy and small, bilateral pleural effusions. The patient was hospitalized for suspected inhalational anthrax and was treated with broad spectrum antimicrobial agents, including ciprofloxacin. Blood cultures grew gram-positive rods within 15 hours of collection, later confirmed to be B. anthracis at the Virginia State Health Laboratory and CDC on October 21. The patient is clinically stable and remains hospitalized (was discharged November 13, 2001).

Click for clinical details (Emerging Inf Diseases)

Click for clinical details (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Anthrax case 4)

Click for news account of Leroy Richmond (10/22/01)

Click for news account of hospital discharge (11/14/01)

Click for news account of diagnosis and politics (11/19/01)

Click for news account of comparative medical care (11/27/01)

Click for news reflection of care and consequences (12/3/01)

Click for MMWR account of Brentwood postal facility anthrax testing (12/21/01)

Click for news account of medical care and rehabilitation (12/29/01)

Click for lessons learned and summary of disease experience (3/26/02)

Click for six-month follow-up of Leroy Richmond (4/20/02)

Click for further clinical and personal follow-up (5/7/02)

Click for clinical and psychological follow-up of Leroy Richmond - Part 1 (8/25/02)

Click for clinical and psychological follow-up of Leroy Richmond - Part 2 (8/26/02)

Click for news of health follow-up of Leroy Richmond (9/16/02)

Click for one year health follow-up of Leroy Richmond (10/1/02)

Click for news of Leroy Richmond one year after onset (11/10/02)

Click for thoughts of Leroy Richmond after one year (11/21/02)

Click for pending lawsuit against Postal Service of Leroy Richmond (12/3/02)

Click for filed lawsuit of Leroy Richmond (1/10/03)

Click for two-year follow-up of Leroy Richmond's illness (9/18/03)

Click for lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages by Leroy Richmond (10/27/05)

Click for 4 1/2 year follow-up of Leroy Richmond, including rejection of lawsuit (5/27/06)

Click for follow-up of Leroy Richmond nearly seven years later (8/4/08)