Anthrax Surveillance and the Limited Overlap Between Obligate Scavengers and Endemic Anthrax Zones in the United States

Walker, Morgan A.; Uribasterra, Maria; Asher, Valpa; Getz, Wayne M.; Ryan, Sadie J.; Ponciano, José Miguel; Blackburn, Jason K.

doi:10.1089/vbz.2020.2747

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…This has been proposed for grazing species such as bovids, as their grazing habits involve ripping grass with their tongues, an action likely facilitating the ingestion of soil, the main substrate for Bacillus spores [46]. For browsing ruminants, especially those whose ranges overlap with necrophilic flies, the ingestion of spores from browse is thought to be enabled by the vectoring of spores from infected carcasses to the leaves of vegetation by flies [6][7][8][9]. Exposure in resistant carnivorous and omnivorous species is also thought to be from the ingestion of spores, mainly from feeding on contaminated animals [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though most mammals are susceptible to infection, the severity of the disease differs largely between taxa, with ruminants often dying within a few days of exposure, while carnivores, omnivores and scavengers frequently survive and can develop measurable immunity to infection [1][2][3][4][5]. Exposure in animals most frequently occurs after ingesting B. anthracis spores from contaminated soil, water, or vegetation, although in some environments biting flies as well as other necrophilic and hemophagic arthropods can also transmit the bacteria and result in infection [6][7][8][9]. Inhalation of aerosolized spores is also a possible route of exposure; however, limited evidence to date has supported this as a significant mode of transmission for ruminants in natural settings [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feral Swine as Indirect Indicators of Environmental Anthrax Contamination and Potential Mechanical Vectors of Infectious Spores

et al. 2023

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Anthrax is a disease that affects livestock, wildlife, and humans worldwide; however, its relative impacts on these populations remain underappreciated. Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are relatively resistant to developing anthrax, and past serosurveys have alluded to their utility as sentinels, yet empirical data to support this are lacking. Moreover, whether feral swine may assist in the dissemination of infectious spores is unknown. To address these knowledge gaps, we intranasally inoculated 15 feral swine with varying quantities of Bacillus anthracis Sterne 34F2 spores and measured the seroconversion and bacterial shedding over time. The animals also were inoculated either one or three times. The sera were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies against B. anthracis, and nasal swabs were cultured to detect bacterial shedding from the nasal passages. We report that the feral swine developed antibody responses to B. anthracis and that the strength of the response correlated with the inoculum dose and the number of exposure events experienced. Isolation of viable bacteria from the nasal passages of the animals throughout the study period suggests that feral swine may assist in the spread of infectious spores on the landscape and have implications for the identification of environments contaminated with B. anthracis as well as the exposure risk to more susceptible hosts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feral Swine as Indirect Indicators of Environmental Anthrax Contamination and Potential Mechanical Vectors of Infectious Spores

et al. 2023

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“…What is especially important is that birds in this process can overcome geographic barriers that are insurmountable for terrestrial animals—rivers, straits, mountains, human settlements, etc. To support our arguments, we can refer to articles that have considered the significant roles of vultures in southern Africa [ 71 ], and gulls and crows in northern Canada [ 72 ], in the spread of anthrax, and vultures and some facultative avian scavengers in the United States [ 73 ].…”

Section: Anthrax In Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some Peculiarities of Anthrax Epidemiology in Herbivorous and Carnivorous Animals

Бахтеева

Timofeev

2022

Life

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Anthrax is an especially dangerous zooanthroponosis caused by the Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. A notable feature of this disease is the difference in susceptibility to it among different groups of animals. Anthrax primarily affects herbivorous ungulate mammals; they are easily infected, and their disease often leads to rapid, even sudden, death. However, predators and scavengers are extremely resistant to anthrax, and if they become infected, they usually become mildly ill. As the result of the increased sensitivity of ungulates to anthrax and the possibility of disease transmission from them to humans, most studies of anthrax have focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infection in farm animals and humans. The issues of anthrax in other animals, such as predators, and the peculiarities of anthrax epidemiology in wild ungulates have not been sufficiently detailed in the literature. In this article, we provide a review of literature sources that describe the differential susceptibility to infection of various groups of animals to anthrax and some epidemiological features of anthrax in animals that are not the main hosts of B. anthracis.

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Review of techniques for the in-situ sterilization of soil contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores or other pathogens

Wood

2024

Research in Microbiology

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Anthrax Surveillance and the Limited Overlap Between Obligate Scavengers and Endemic Anthrax Zones in the United States

Cited by 4 publications

References 44 publications

Feral Swine as Indirect Indicators of Environmental Anthrax Contamination and Potential Mechanical Vectors of Infectious Spores

Feral Swine as Indirect Indicators of Environmental Anthrax Contamination and Potential Mechanical Vectors of Infectious Spores

Some Peculiarities of Anthrax Epidemiology in Herbivorous and Carnivorous Animals

Review of techniques for the in-situ sterilization of soil contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores or other pathogens

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