2025 ICD-10-CM code A28.8
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Infectious and parasitic diseases - Certain zoonotic bacterial diseases Certain infectious and parasitic diseases Feed
Other specified zoonotic bacterial diseases, not elsewhere classified.
Medical necessity for this code is established by the presence of clinical signs and symptoms consistent with a zoonotic bacterial infection, supported by laboratory confirmation of a bacterial infection and the exclusion of other diagnosable conditions.
Clinicians should consider symptoms like fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, dry cough, and abdominal pain. Laboratory blood tests can identify antibodies to the bacteria. Treatment may involve antibiotics such as doxycycline or penicillin, potentially intravenously in severe cases.
In simple words: This code is used when a person has a bacterial infection that they caught from an animal, and the specific infection isn't covered by any other code. These infections are usually spread through contact with contaminated water or soil.
This code represents a diagnosis of a zoonotic bacterial disease that is not classified elsewhere in the ICD-10-CM. Zoonotic diseases are animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans under natural conditions. These bacteria are typically ingested through water contaminated by animal urine or spread through contact with infected soil.
Example 1: A patient presents with fever, chills, and muscle aches after swimming in a lake known to have a high concentration of animal urine. Lab tests confirm a bacterial infection not otherwise specified, leading to a diagnosis of A28.8., A farmer develops skin lesions and fever after working in contaminated soil. After other potential causes are ruled out, the diagnosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease not classified elsewhere, coded as A28.8., A child drinks water from a contaminated well while camping and develops severe diarrhea and vomiting. Diagnostic testing reveals a bacterial infection not identified by other codes, resulting in the use of A28.8.
Documentation should include details of the infection, relevant medical history (including potential exposure to animals or contaminated environments), signs and symptoms, laboratory results confirming the bacterial infection, and the rationale for ruling out other specific zoonotic diseases.
- Specialties:Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Office, Home, Emergency Room - Hospital