Table. Surveillance methods used to identify potential cases of systemic anthrax or a source of exposure for the Florida index case of inhalational anthrax, North Carolina, October 2001.

Type of surveillance	Targeted population or outcome	Locations under surveillance
Intensive-care unit	Patients with illness compatible with systemic anthrax infectiona	19 hospitals in North and South Carolinab
Microbiology laboratory	Bacterial isolates potentially consistent with Bacillus anthracisc	19 hospitals in North and South Carolina
Medical examiner	Unexplained deaths possibly due to anthrax infection	Statewide
Veterinarian	Unexplained deaths in livestock	Statewide
Occupational	Unexplained illnesses or absences in employees	Tourist park visited by the index patient
Environmental	Evidence of B. anthracis spores	Residence of index patient’s relative; tourist park visited by the index patient

^aClinical syndromes included fever and 1) severe respiratory disease, 2) mediastinitis or mediastinal lymphadenitis, 3) meningitis, or 4) hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
^bBased on the index patient’s route of travel, surveillance occurred in all 15 hospitals with intensive-care units in five North Carolina counties, as well as four regional referral centers in North Carolina (n=2) and South Carolina (n=2).
^cA suspicious isolate was defined as 1) nontyped Bacillus species, 2) unidentified nonhemolytic, nonmotile gram-positive rod, or 3) any other unidentified bacteria that was discarded or sent to a referral laboratory.