The ecology of Bacillus anthracis

Hugh‐Jones, Martin; Blackburn, Jason K.

doi:10.1016/j.mam.2009.08.003

Cited by 284 publications

(337 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

313

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…BA spores are known to be concentrated in soils at anthrax carcass sites and can persist there for several years [22,36], patterns that are not affected by scavenger presence or exclusion [37]. Despite the hypothesized importance of grazing in BA transmission [20,38], this is the first study to examine levels of BA contamination on grasses in the natural environment. We found that the above-ground component of grass holds BA spores, and 1 year after death the concentrations on grasses were as high as in soil.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatal attraction: vegetation responses to nutrient inputs attract herbivores to infectious anthrax carcass sites

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Parasites can shape the foraging behaviour of their hosts through cues indicating risk of infection. When cues for risk co-occur with desired traits such as forage quality, individuals face a trade-off between nutrient acquisition and parasite exposure. We evaluated how this trade-off may influence disease transmission in a 3-year experimental study of anthrax in a guild of mammalian herbivores in Etosha National Park, Namibia. At plains zebra (Equus quagga) carcass sites we assessed (i) carcass nutrient effects on soils and grasses, (ii) concentrations of Bacillus anthracis (BA) on grasses and in soils, and (iii) herbivore grazing behaviour, compared with control sites, using motion-sensing camera traps. We found that carcass-mediated nutrient pulses improved soil and vegetation, and that BA is found on grasses up to 2 years after death. Host foraging responses to carcass sites shifted from avoidance to attraction, and ultimately to no preference, with the strength and duration of these behavioural responses varying among herbivore species. Our results demonstrate that animal carcasses alter the environment and attract grazing hosts to parasite aggregations. This attraction may enhance transmission rates, suggesting that hosts are limited in their ability to trade off nutrient intake with parasite avoidance when relying on indirect cues.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatal attraction: vegetation responses to nutrient inputs attract herbivores to infectious anthrax carcass sites

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, it has been shown that under the right conditions, B. anthracis spores can germinate on and around plant roots and that genetic exchange between strains of Bacillus is possible (110). Because of the spore mode of infection, it is important for spores to persist at their site of deposition and not to get washed too deeply into the soil and thus be inaccessible to grazing ruminants in amounts constituting an infectious dose (111). The exosporium affects the ability of B. anthracis spores to bind to different soil types.…”

Section: Functions Of the Exosporium In The Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Exosporium Layer of Bacterial Spores: a Connection to the Environment and the Infected Host

Stewart

2015

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

138

155

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYMuch of what we know regarding bacterial spore structure and function has been learned from studies of the genetically well-characterized bacteriumBacillus subtilis. Molecular aspects of spore structure, assembly, and function are well defined. However, certain bacteria produce spores with an outer spore layer, the exosporium, which is not present onB. subtilisspores. Our understanding of the composition and biological functions of the exosporium layer is much more limited than that of other aspects of the spore. Because the bacterial spore surface is important for the spore's interactions with the environment, as well as being the site of interaction of the spore with the host's innate immune system in the case of spore-forming bacterial pathogens, the exosporium is worthy of continued investigation. Recent exosporium studies have focused largely on members of theBacillus cereusfamily, principallyBacillus anthracisandBacillus cereus. Our understanding of the composition of the exosporium, the pathway of its assembly, and its role in spore biology is now coming into sharper focus. This review expands on a 2007 review of spore surface layers which provided an excellent conceptual framework of exosporium structure and function (A. O. Henriques and C. P. Moran, Jr., Annu Rev Microbiol61:555–588, 2007,http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.micro.61.080706.093224). That review began a process of considering outer spore layers as an integrated, multilayered structure rather than simply regarding the outer spore components as independent parts.

show abstract

“…An important epidemiological characteristic of anthrax is the distinct seasonality of the cases, a feature that has been linked to the annual variations of local weather factors. This feature is obvious in Europe too, where historically anthrax prevalence was highest in regions with a pronounced dry season [10] and the infections still tend to accumulate during the driest hot periods of the year (May to October) [1,11,12]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Gaitanis

Lolis²,

Tsartsarakis³

et al. 2015

Dermatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Human anthrax is currently a sporadic disease in Europe, without significant regional clustering. Objective: To report an unexpected aggregate of anthrax cases and correlate local climatic factors with yearly anthrax admissions. Methods: Clinical description of a geographical-temporal anthrax aggregate, correlation of disease admissions with local weather data in the period 2001-2014 and literature reports of anthrax clusters from Europe in the last 20 years. Results: We identified 5 cases, all cutaneous: an unexpected aggregate of 4 cases in mid-summer 2011 (including a probable human-to-human transmission) and a sporadic case in August 2005, all in relatively dry periods (p < 0.05). Remarkably, 3/6 reports of human anthrax aggregates from Europe were observed in Balkan Peninsula countries in the year 2011. Conclusion: In the light of the predicted climatic change, unexpected anthrax aggregates during dry periods in southern Europe underscore the risk of future anthrax re-emergence on this continent.

show abstract

The ecology of Bacillus anthracis

Cited by 284 publications

References 38 publications

Fatal attraction: vegetation responses to nutrient inputs attract herbivores to infectious anthrax carcass sites

Fatal attraction: vegetation responses to nutrient inputs attract herbivores to infectious anthrax carcass sites

The Exosporium Layer of Bacterial Spores: a Connection to the Environment and the Infected Host

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About