DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DETECTED ANTHRAX OUTBREAKS IN WILD WOOD BISON (<i>BISON BISON ATHABASCAE</i>) IN NORTHERN CANADA, 1962–2008

Salb, Amanda; Stephen, Craig; Ribble, Carl; Elkin, Brett

doi:10.7589/2013-04-095

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Thus, the rate of decay in spore concentrations may influence the between-outbreak interval among systems. In areas with sporadic outbreaks, a decade or more can pass between subsequent outbreaks 33 . It is difficult to predict how carcass sites may drive outbreaks in systems with such large inter-outbreak dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lethal exposure: An integrated approach to pathogen transmission via environmental reservoirs

Turner

Kausrud

Beyer

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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To mitigate the effects of zoonotic diseases on human and animal populations, it is critical to understand what factors alter transmission dynamics. Here we assess the risk of exposure to lethal concentrations of the anthrax bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, for grazing animals in a natural system over time through different transmission mechanisms. We follow pathogen concentrations at anthrax carcass sites and waterholes for five years and estimate infection risk as a function of grass, soil or water intake, age of carcass sites, and the exposure required for a lethal infection. Grazing, not drinking, seems the dominant transmission route, and transmission is more probable from grazing at carcass sites 1-2 years of age. Unlike most studies of virulent pathogens that are conducted under controlled conditions for extrapolation to real situations, we evaluate exposure risk under field conditions to estimate the probability of a lethal dose, showing that not all reservoirs with detectable pathogens are significant transmission pathways.Understanding the ecological processes that drive zoonotic disease outbreaks is important in mitigating their effects on human and animal populations. One critical factor affecting infectious disease dynamics is spatio-temporal heterogeneity in transmission 1,2 . For directly transmitted pathogens, this heterogeneity can be described through peer to peer contact rates and the structure of social networks in host populations [3][4][5] . When pathogens are acquired from environmental reservoirs, the pathogen's distribution in the environment and the interaction between host behavior and reservoir becomes the crucial link in transmission. Despite the global burden of diseases with environmental reservoirs (like cholera, tularemia, polio, botulism, anthrax, bubonic plague, leptospirosis, enteropathogenic E. coli and others 6 ), microbial ecology in the field is currently understudied due to the difficulties of monitoring microbes in their natural environment. Though progress is being made in risk assessment studies, more data are needed on diseases currently posing threats to public health, livestock health, and wildlife health. Moreover, to calibrate the risk and thus an appropriate response to emerging diseases following environmental change or the release of bioweapons, we need to know their long-term behavior in natural systems.The distribution of infectious agents in the environment is typically aggregated due to pulsed releases from infected hosts, creating heterogeneity in the risk of exposure for future hosts. Public health scientists assess risk of infection by identifying disease agents, quantifying exposure, and characterizing dose-response relationships 7,8 .

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lethal exposure: An integrated approach to pathogen transmission via environmental reservoirs

Turner

Kausrud

Beyer

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax and in areas where the dormant spore form of the bacterium has contaminated the soil it represents an ever present threat to herbivores of economic and conservation importance ( Hugh-Jones and de Vos, 2002 ; Knutsson et al, 2012 ; Salb et al, 2014 ). In the event of intentional spore release, large geographical areas can be rendered uninhabitable for extended periods of time ( Manchee et al, 1994 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caenorhabditis elegans Predation on Bacillus anthracis: Decontamination of Spore Contaminated Soil with Germinants and Nematodes

et al. 2018

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Remediation of Bacillus anthracis-contaminated soil is challenging and approaches to reduce overall spore levels in environmentally contaminated soil or after intentional release of the infectious disease agent in a safe, low-cost manner are needed. B. anthracis spores are highly resistant to biocides, but once germinated they become susceptible to traditional biocides or potentially even natural predators such as nematodes in the soil environment. Here, we describe a two-step approach to reducing B. anthracis spore load in soil during laboratory trials, whereby germinants and Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes are applied concurrently. While the application of germinants reduced B. anthracis spore load by up to four logs depending on soil type, the addition of nematodes achieved a further log reduction in spore count. These laboratory based results suggest that the combined use of nematodes and germinants could represent a promising approach for the remediation of B. anthracis spore contaminated soil.Originality-Significance Statement: This study demonstrates for the first time the successful use of environmentally friendly decontamination methods to inactivate Bacillus anthracis spores in soil using natural predators of the bacterium, nematode worms.

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“…These findings suggest that a large scale anthrax outbreak with significant wildlife mortalities on public land would likely have ramifications for hunting opportunities. Outbreaks have led to significant die offs in other wildlife species (Clegg et al 2007; Muoria et al 2007) including mortalities comprising up to 10% of the wild wood bison ( Bison bison athabascae ) population during outbreaks in Northern Canada (Salb et al 2014). In addition to population effects, an anthrax outbreak could potentially create a public health concern for hunters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Disease Risk, Identifying Stakeholders, and Informing Control Strategies: A Case Study of Anthrax in Montana

Morris

Blackburn

2016

EcoHealth

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Infectious diseases that affect wildlife and livestock are challenging to manage, and can lead to large scale die offs, economic losses, and threats to human health. The management of infectious diseases in wildlife and livestock is made easier with knowledge of disease risk across space and identifying stakeholders associated with high risk landscapes. This study focuses on anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, risk to wildlife and livestock in Montana. There is a history of anthrax in Montana, but the spatial extent of disease risk and subsequent wildlife species at risk are not known. Our objective was to predict the potential geographic distribution of anthrax risk across Montana, identify wildlife species at risk and their distributions, and define stakeholders. We used an ecological niche model to predict the potential distribution of anthrax risk. We overlaid susceptible wildlife species distributions and land ownership delineations on our risk map. We found that there was an extensive region across Montana predicted as potential anthrax risk. These potentially risky landscapes overlapped the ranges of all 6 ungulate species considered in the analysis and livestock grazing allotments, and this overlap was on public and private land for all species. Our findings suggest that there is the potential for a multi species anthrax outbreak on multiple landscapes across Montana. Our potential anthrax risk map can be used to prioritize landscapes for surveillance and for implementing livestock vaccination programs.

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DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DETECTED ANTHRAX OUTBREAKS IN WILD WOOD BISON (BISON BISON ATHABASCAE) IN NORTHERN CANADA, 1962–2008

Cited by 16 publications

References 17 publications

Lethal exposure: An integrated approach to pathogen transmission via environmental reservoirs

Lethal exposure: An integrated approach to pathogen transmission via environmental reservoirs

Caenorhabditis elegans Predation on Bacillus anthracis: Decontamination of Spore Contaminated Soil with Germinants and Nematodes

Predicting Disease Risk, Identifying Stakeholders, and Informing Control Strategies: A Case Study of Anthrax in Montana

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