Question: Which serious cutaneous disease resulted from the use of contaminated shaving brushes during the First World War and into the1920s?
Answer: Cutaneous anthrax resulted from the use of contaminated shaving brushes during the 1920s. The cited reference notes, “…the source material origin of shaving brushes had changed during the war (WWI). Cheap brushes of imported horsehair were being made to look like the preferred badger-hair brushes. Unfortunately, some of the these brushes were not effectively disinfected and brought with them a nasty stowaway, Bacillus anthracis.” (Szablewski CM et al. Anthrax cases associate with animal-hair shaving brushes. 2017 Emerg Inf Dis 23(5): 806-808)
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