The antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis strains isolated in Croatia

Abstract

Bacillus anthracis can infect both livestock and humans. The importance of the treatment of the disease in humans has been underscored by the bioterrorism events of 2001 in the United States. The presence of PA and B/C genes (pX01 and pX02 plasmids) as well as susceptibility to several antimicrobial substances was determined in 11 strains of Bacillus anthracis isolated during two recent epizooties of anthrax which occurred in Croatia in 2002 among sheep and in 2006/2007 in cattle. The pX01 plasmid was observed in all of the examined strains, including vaccinal Sterne strains. However, the pX02 plasmid was detected in only eight out of eleven examined field strains of Bacillus anthracis while in vaccinal strains it was not detected at. Determination of MIC's revealed susceptibility to amoxicillin, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline. All strains were resistant to sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim and cefotaxime.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Bacillus anthracis strains from Hungary

“…Additionally, no resistant strains were identified. The MIC 90 values proved to be lower in our study compared to other studies (Doğa-nay and Aydin, 1991;Odendaal et al, 1991;Turnbull et al, 2004;Habrun et al, 2011;Ortatatli et al, 2012).…”

“…Most B. anthracis stains are resistant or intermediately susceptible to cefotaxime according to previous findings (Doğonay and Aydin, 1991;Odendaal et al, 1991;Turnbull et al, 2004;Habrun et al, 2011;Ortatatli et al, 2012). Turnbull et al (2004) found one susceptible strain (MIC 3 mg/L) with the Etest method, while Doğanay and Aydin (1991) described five susceptible strains with the disc diffusion test.…”

“…The extremely resistant spore is able to survive in the soil for decades (Fasanella et al, 2010). Bacillus anthracis is susceptible to most antibiotics used in therapy (Lightfoot et al, 1990;Doğanay and Aydin, 1991;Odendaal et al, 1991;Cavallo et al, 2002;Coker et al, 2002;Mohammed et al, 2002;Turnbull et al, 2004;Luna et al, 2007;Caplan et al, 2009;Habrun et al, 2011;Ortatatli et al, 2012;Quinn et al, 2011). The main recommended antibiotics to treat human anthrax cases are ciprofloxacin and doxycycline, apart from penicillin (WHO, 2008).…”

Bacteriophages: Practical Applications for Nature's Biocontrol

“…It is most commonly contracted when people breathe airborne anthrax spores. Natural resistance of B. anthracis to antibiotics has also been documented and in vitro studies have shown that B. anthracis can develop resistance to sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and b-lactam antibiotics (Athamna et al 2004;Weigel and Morse 2009;Habrun et al 2011;Daniszewski 2013). This process usually takes 1-6 days.…”

Two cases of human cutaneous anthrax in Bosnia and Herzegovina, September 2014

“…In 2011, sporadic human cutaneous anthrax cases due to contact with infected livestock were reported in Serbia [12], which borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Romania [13]. Sporadic livestock anthrax cases have also been reported in the past 25 years in areas of Croatia bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina [9,14,15].…”