ICD-10-CM Code For Anthrax: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A22 includes diagnoses for anthrax infections such as cutaneous anthrax, inhalation anthrax, intestinal anthrax, and anthrax sepsis or meningitis, covering localized and systemic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document clinical presentation, extent of organ involvement, and complications such as sepsis or meningitis that affect management decisions. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM A22 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

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ICD-10-CM A22: Anthrax Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A22 covers anthrax infections caused by Bacillus anthracis affecting cutaneous, inhalational, and gastrointestinal systems as well as systemic dissemination. These diagnoses target infectious disease and emergency medicine settings where zoonotic bacterial exposure is implicated. Accurate coding matters for reimbursement because it documents clinical severity, required interventions, and public health reporting needs.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a confirmed or strongly suspected diagnosis of anthrax is recorded, specifying the clinical form and any complications. Select the code that reflects the anatomical site and severity documented in the medical record, including systemic involvement when present.

ICD-10-CM Codes

6 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A22.0	Cutaneous anthrax
A22.1	Pulmonary anthrax
A22.2	Gastrointestinal anthrax
A22.7	Anthrax sepsis
A22.8	Other forms of anthrax
A22.9	Anthrax, unspecified

DRG Codes

14 rows

DRG Code	Description
177	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC
178	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC
179	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCC
371	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections with MCC
372	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections with CC
373	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections without CC/MCC
606	Minor Skin Disorders with MCC
607	Minor Skin Disorders without MCC
867	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with MCC
868	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC
869	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses without CC/MCC
870	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours
871	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC
872	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents to the emergency department with rapidly progressing fever, severe headache, vomiting, and a widened mediastinum on chest radiograph after known inhalational exposure to contaminated animal products. The patient is hypotensive and tachycardic, prompting immediate sepsis workup and empiric antimicrobial therapy; a diagnosis from this group is assigned when insect or animal-derived exposure leads to systemic Bacillus anthracis infection involving the pulmonary/mediastinal structures. Typical codes: A22.0, A22.7
A middle-aged farmer develops a painless but enlarging ulcer on the forearm with surrounding edema and regional lymphadenopathy several days after handling livestock with skin lesions. The lesion is swabbed for culture and the clinical team assigns a code from this group when cutaneous anthrax is diagnosed based on lesion appearance and positive testing or strong epidemiologic exposure. Typical codes: A22.1, A22.8
A hospitalized patient with confirmed anthrax who initially presented with cutaneous disease now has bacteremia with metastatic infection involving the meninges or bones, or has developed septic shock as a complication of systemic spread. The treating clinicians document the complication and assign an anthrax group code to capture systemic or complicated disease in addition to the site-specific manifestations. Typical codes: A22.2, A22.9

Related Codes

A20-PLAGUE

ICD-10-CM Code For Plague: Group Overview

A21-TULAREMIA

ICD-10-CM Code For Tularemia: Group Overview

A23-BRUCELLOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Brucellosis: Group Overview

A24-GLANDERS-AND-MELIOIDOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Glanders And Melioidosis: Group Overview

A25-RAT-BITE-FEVERS

ICD-10-CM Code For Rat Bite Fevers: Group Overview

A26-ERYSIPELOID-INFECTION

ICD-10-CM Code For Erysipeloid: Group Overview

A27-LEPTOSPIROSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Leptospirosis: Group Overview

A28-OTHER-ZOONOTIC-BACTERIAL-DISEASES

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Zoonotic Bacterial Diseases Not Elsewhere Classified: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

6 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A22.0	Cutaneous anthrax
A22.1	Pulmonary anthrax
A22.2	Gastrointestinal anthrax
A22.7	Anthrax sepsis
A22.8	Other forms of anthrax
A22.9	Anthrax, unspecified

DRG Codes

14 rows

DRG Code	Description
177	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC
178	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC
179	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCC
371	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections with MCC
372	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections with CC
373	Major Gastrointestinal Disorders and Peritoneal Infections without CC/MCC
606	Minor Skin Disorders with MCC
607	Minor Skin Disorders without MCC
867	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with MCC
868	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC
869	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses without CC/MCC
870	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours
871	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC
872	Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents to the emergency department with rapidly progressing fever, severe headache, vomiting, and a widened mediastinum on chest radiograph after known inhalational exposure to contaminated animal products. The patient is hypotensive and tachycardic, prompting immediate sepsis workup and empiric antimicrobial therapy; a diagnosis from this group is assigned when insect or animal-derived exposure leads to systemic Bacillus anthracis infection involving the pulmonary/mediastinal structures. Typical codes: A22.0, A22.7
A middle-aged farmer develops a painless but enlarging ulcer on the forearm with surrounding edema and regional lymphadenopathy several days after handling livestock with skin lesions. The lesion is swabbed for culture and the clinical team assigns a code from this group when cutaneous anthrax is diagnosed based on lesion appearance and positive testing or strong epidemiologic exposure. Typical codes: A22.1, A22.8
A hospitalized patient with confirmed anthrax who initially presented with cutaneous disease now has bacteremia with metastatic infection involving the meninges or bones, or has developed septic shock as a complication of systemic spread. The treating clinicians document the complication and assign an anthrax group code to capture systemic or complicated disease in addition to the site-specific manifestations. Typical codes: A22.2, A22.9

Related Codes

A20-PLAGUE

ICD-10-CM Code For Plague: Group Overview

A21-TULAREMIA

ICD-10-CM Code For Tularemia: Group Overview

A23-BRUCELLOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Brucellosis: Group Overview

A24-GLANDERS-AND-MELIOIDOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Glanders And Melioidosis: Group Overview

A25-RAT-BITE-FEVERS

ICD-10-CM Code For Rat Bite Fevers: Group Overview

A26-ERYSIPELOID-INFECTION

ICD-10-CM Code For Erysipeloid: Group Overview

A27-LEPTOSPIROSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Leptospirosis: Group Overview

A28-OTHER-ZOONOTIC-BACTERIAL-DISEASES

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Zoonotic Bacterial Diseases Not Elsewhere Classified: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-CM Code For Anthrax: Group Overview

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ICD-10-CM A22: Anthrax Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Anthrax: Group Overview

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ICD-10-CM A22: Anthrax Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM codes are included in the A22 anthrax group?

How does accurate coding within A22 affect reimbursement?

Which DRGs may be relevant for pulmonary anthrax coding?

When should `A22.7` anthrax sepsis be considered in coding?

What clinical presentations are captured across the A22 code group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM codes are included in the A22 anthrax group?

How does accurate coding within A22 affect reimbursement?

Which DRGs may be relevant for pulmonary anthrax coding?

When should `A22.7` anthrax sepsis be considered in coding?

What clinical presentations are captured across the A22 code group?

References