A man in Texas in his 50s was hospitalized with anthrax after butchering a dead lamb and cooking its meat.

Despite the lamb appearing healthy, it died suddenly on his ranch, prompting him to prepare and eat it with two others.

A week later, he was admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms on his right arm, including blistering, swelling, and blackening skin.

The other two individuals did not become ill, likely due to the meat being cooked thoroughly enough to kill the bacteria.

Doctors believe the man contracted anthrax through skin contact while gutting the infected lamb.

This case was highlighted in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, emphasizing the risk of consuming animals that die unexpectedly.

The man was treated with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and recovered within a week, the Daily Mail reported.

He resided near the Texas ‘anthrax triangle,’ a region where the disease is historically prevalent.

The infection occurred on Christmas Eve, an unusual time for anthrax due to typically low winter temperatures, but an unusually warm December may have kept the bacteria active in the soil.

Written by B.C. Begley