An Aggregate of Four Anthrax Cases during the Dry Summer of 2011 in Epirus, Greece

Gaitanis, Georgios; Lolis, C. J.; Tsartsarakis, Antonios; Kalogeropoulos, Chris; Leveidiotou-Stefanou, Stamatina; Bartzokas, Aristidis; Bassukas, Ioannis D.

doi:10.1159/000440860

“…This may also lead to novel environmental exposures as previous barriers disappear and emerging bottlenecks or range expansions appear. Second, warming in semi-arid steppe or shrubland may increase dry conditions that may be favorable to anthrax spore dissemination in the middle and southerly northern latitudes, particularly when summer droughts are punctuated with intermittent precipitation 5 – 7 . The current study lends further support to the favorability of relatively dry conditions as anthrax suitability appeared to be optimized in areas with a mild to moderate degree of water stress, which is typical of the grasslands and steppe of eastern Europe, north-central Asia and north-central North America 67 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bacterium prefers alkaline soils, but also occupies a spectrum of pH across the pedosphere 3 , 4 .The spores are resistant to heat and desiccation, enabling their persistence in the environment 1 , 4 . Moreover, the spores are subject to mechanical environmental displacement due to abiotic mechanisms such as flooding events 5 – 7 and local slope 8 , or biotic mechanisms such as tabanid flies 9 . B. anthracis may also share a unique relationship with grasses and ruminants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic influence on anthrax suitability in warming northern latitudes

Walsh

¹

,

Smalen

²

,

Mor

³

2018

Sci Rep

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Climate change is impacting ecosystem structure and function, with potentially drastic downstream effects on human and animal health. Emerging zoonotic diseases are expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate and biodiversity disturbance. Anthrax is an archetypal zoonosis that manifests its most significant burden on vulnerable pastoralist communities. The current study sought to investigate the influence of temperature increases on geographic anthrax suitability in the temperate, boreal, and arctic North, where observed climate impact has been rapid. This study also explored the influence of climate relative to more traditional factors, such as livestock distribution, ungulate biodiversity, and soil-water balance, in demarcating risk. Machine learning was used to model anthrax suitability in northern latitudes. The model identified climate, livestock density and wild ungulate species richness as the most influential features in predicting suitability. These findings highlight the significance of warming temperatures for anthrax ecology in northern latitudes, and suggest potential mitigating effects of interventions targeting megafauna biodiversity conservation in grassland ecosystems, and animal health promotion among small to midsize livestock herds.

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“…This phenomenon has been documented at the animal burial sites of previous epizootics(10, 12, 64). Second, warming in semi-arid steppe or shrubland may increase dry conditions that can be favorable to anthrax spore preservation, dissemination and activation in the middle and southerly northern latitudes, particularly when summer droughts are punctuated with intermittent precipitation(17-19). The current study lends further support to this as landscape suitability appeared to be optimized in areas with a mild to moderate degree of water stress, which is typical of the grasslands and steppe of eastern Europe, north-central Asia and north-central North America(65).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The endospores are heat-stable and resistant to desiccation, but exhibit rapid growth with increased precipitation particularly following periods of drought(15, 16). Moreover, the spores are subject to mechanical environmental displacement due to abiotic mechanisms such as flooding events(17-19) and local slope(20), or biotic mechanisms such as tabanid flies(21). With the exception of slope, all such factors could be affected by global warming.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic influence on the anthrax niche in warming northern latitudes

Mg

¹

,

Aw

²

,

Sm

³

2017

Preprint

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Climate change is impacting ecosystem structure and function, with potentially drastic downstream effects on human and animal health. Emerging zoonotic diseases are expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate and biodiversity disturbance. Anthrax is an archetypal zoonosis that manifests its most significant burden on vulnerable pastoralist communities. The current study sought to investigate the influence of temperature increases on the landscape suitability of anthrax in the temperate, boreal, and arctic North, where observed climate impact has been rapid. This study also explored the influence of climate relative to more traditional factors, such as livestock distribution, ungulate biodiversity, and soil-water balance, in demarcating high risk landscapes. Machine learning was used to model landscape suitability as the ecological niche of anthrax in northern latitudes. The model identified climate, livestock density and wild ungulate species richness as the most influential landscape features in predicting suitability. These findings highlight the significance of warming temperatures for anthrax ecology in northern latitudes, and suggest potential mitigating effects of interventions targeting megafauna biodiversity conservation in grassland ecosystems, and animal health promotion among small to midsize livestock herds.Significance StatementWe present evidence that a warming climate may be associated with the current distribution of anthrax risk in the temperate, boreal, and arctic North. Moreover, projected warming over the coming decades was associated with substantive expansion of this risk. In addition, livestock distribution, ungulate biodiversity, and soil-water balance were also influential to anthrax risk. While these results are sobering for the future health of livestock and pastoralist communities in the northern latitudes, the coincident modulating effect of ungulate biodiversity may suggest targeted ecosystem conservation as a possible buffer against a growing anthrax niche.

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“…Disposable items that have been in direct contact with the anthrax lesion, any tissue removed during debridement, and potentially infectious wound care materials (24,25) should be disposed of in a biohazard bag according to guidelines for disposal of any potentially infectious material. No additional disinfection is needed beyond what is regularly scheduled for the facility.…”

Section: Healthcare Infection Control Issues For Cutaneous Anthraxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control and Prevention of Anthrax, Texas, USA, 2019

Sidwa¹,

Salzer²,

Traxler³

et al. 2020

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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T he zoonotic disease anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, has been known to humankind for thousands of years and is endemic to most continents (1-3). It is a naturally occurring disease of herbivores that incidentally infects humans through contact with animals that are ill or have died from anthrax or through contact with B. anthracis-contaminated byproducts such as meat, hides, hair, and wool (4). Transmission routes include cutaneous, ingestion, inhalation, and injection; cutaneous accounts for most (95%) cases worldwide (2,4). In the United States, human risk is primarily associated with handling carcasses of hoofstock that have died of anthrax; the primary risk for herbivores is ingestion of B. anthracis spores that can persist in suitable alkaline soils in a corridor from Texas through Colorado, the Dakotas, and Montana (5-7). The 2 state agencies responsible for anthrax surveillance in Texas are the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). Samples that are culture-positive for B. anthracis at veterinary reference laboratories are reported to DSHS and TAHC. Veterinarians treating animals with illnesses compatible with anthrax must also report to DSHS and TAHC. Suspected cases of human anthrax are immediately reportable to DSHS. Samples or isolates from human cases are forwarded for identification to local public health reference laboratories. In Texas, animal anthrax cases are most commonly reported from the triangular area bounded by the towns of Uvalde, Ozona, and Eagle Pass (Figure 1), which includes portions of Crockett,

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An Aggregate of Four Anthrax Cases during the Dry Summer of 2011 in Epirus, Greece

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Climatic influence on anthrax suitability in warming northern latitudes

Climatic influence on anthrax suitability in warming northern latitudes

Climatic influence on the anthrax niche in warming northern latitudes

Control and Prevention of Anthrax, Texas, USA, 2019

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