Anthrax phylogenetic structure in Northern Italy

Abstract

BackgroundAnthrax has almost disappeared from mainland Europe, except for the Mediterranean region where cases are still reported. In Central and South Italy, anthrax is enzootic, but in the North there are currently no high risk areas, with only sporadic cases having been registered in the last few decades. Regional genetic and molecular characterizations of anthrax in these regions are still lacking. To investigate the potential molecular diversity of Bacillus anthracis in Northern Italy, canonical Single nucleotide polymorphism (canSNP) and Multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) genotyping was performed against all isolates from animal outbreaks registered in the last twenty years in the region.FindingsSix B. anthracis strains were analyzed. The canSNP analysis indicates the presence of three sublineages/subgroups each of which belong to one of the 12 worldwide CanSNP genotypes: B.Br.CNEVA (3 isolates), A.Br.005/006 (1 isolates) and A.008/009 (2 isolate). The latter is the dominant canSNP genotype in Italy. The 15-loci MLVA analysis revealed five different genotypes among the isolates.ConclusionsThe major B branch and the A.Br.005/006 were recovered in the Northeast region. The genetic structure of anthrax discovered in this area differs from the rest of the country, suggesting the presence of a separate and independent B. anthracis molecular evolution niche. Although the isolates analyzed in this study are limited in quantity and representation, these results indicate that B. anthracis genetic diversity changes around the Alps.

Characterization of Genetic Diversity of Bacillus anthracis in France by Using High-Resolution Melting Assays and Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis

“…It may be of interest to note that these zones, close to the mountainous massifs of France, share similar land topologies, made of pastoral valleys. Our data, consistent with other MLVA studies reporting new additional genotypes among Italian, Polish, and Swiss isolates (7)(8)(9)26) (33). The strains found in Europe (36,38) may represent old imported infections from Asia via animals or human activities, such as trading (33).…”

“…This leads to a genotyping method that uses a set of 13 strategically placed canSNPs to subdivide B. anthracis isolates into three recognized major lineages (A, B, and C), with further subdivision into 12 clonal sublineages or subgroups (36). This method had been applied to analyze several collections of B. anthracis strains of worldwide origin (2,7,23,26,33,36). However, as it is based on TaqMan minor groove binding allelic discrimination assays, the current method incurs a high cost per studied marker.…”

Ecological Niche Modeling of Bacillus anthracis on Three Continents: Evidence for Genetic-Ecological Divergence?

“…The genetic diversity of B. anthracis and geographic distribution of anthrax outbreaks in Italy was described by Fasanella et al [26], Lista et al [29] and Van Ert et al [24], and confirmed by Garofolo et al [31]. The dominant genotypes in Italy fell into the MLVA A1.a group and TEA SNP group.…”

Bioterrorism and Public Health Service: Defining Management and Treatment Systems

“…It already was a deputy to the preparation of the two vaccines against anthrax, and Carbosap Pasteur [84], and prialla testing of new vaccine Sterne [85]. The center has the task to test the detection anthrax spores in suspicious samples (with the exception human clinical suspicion) as part of the emergency bioterrorism, which consists in the amplification nucleotide sequences specific for chromosome, the lethal factor, edema factor, the antigen and the protective capsule of Bacillus anthracis [86].…”