Historical Distribution and Molecular Diversity ofBacillus anthracis, Kazakhstan

Abstract

This study provides useful baseline data for guiding future disease control programs.

Modeling the Ecological Niche of Bacillus anthracis to Map Anthrax Risk in Kyrgyzstan

“…A total of 487 outbreaks from 1932 and 2006 were captured by the Nidus database (Table 2). Domestic cattle and sheep made up 56.3% and 21.6%, respectively, with horses, swine, unknown (unrecorded) species, donkeys, polecats (from fur farming operation 6 ) and animal hides composing the remainder of the outbreaks. Outbreaks per month are illustrated in Figure 3.…”

“…In contrast, neighboring Kazakhstan reported more sheep outbreaks compared with cattle during a similar reporting period . 6 Although differences may be due to variation in susceptibility or their geographic distribution, it has been suggested that as cattle are more valuable, sheep losses from anthrax may go undetected if outbreaks are small. 5 Interestingly, sheep herding practices tend to include highaltitude summer pastures, 29 which may reduce exposure to B. anthracis during summer months (based on our ENM predictions; Figure 4); though exposure to mid-elevation grasses could result in exposure during the migration up to or down from summer grazing.…”

“…Such studies should be a priority, as these data may aid in refining Kyrgyz models to specific genetic lineages. Aikembayev and others 6 characterized genetic data from a limited number of Kyrgyz B. anthracis strains available in the Kazakh archive and identified at least two divergent lineages present in Kyrgyzstan, which may influence ENM predictions. At the same time, accuracy metrics for ENM predictions are still limited in value, in particular AUC.…”

“…37 From a practical standpoint, field epidemiologists and regional veterinarians can prioritize ecological zones for surveillance and control including seasonal migration routes. The majority of livestock is privately owned, 34 6 Italy, 39 and the United States, [40][41][42] such efforts have not yet been completed in Kyrgyzstan. Such studies should be a priority, as these data may aid in refining Kyrgyz models to specific genetic lineages.…”

“…2 However, in resource-limited areas, widespread vaccination may be financially prohibitive and untenable. Of particular concern are agrarian and resource-limited countries in the Caucasus [2][3][4] and Central Asia, [5][6][7] where independence from the former Soviet Union has hindered public health management because of decreased funding. 5 In Central Asia, anthrax represents a major veterinary and public health concern 5,7,8 .…”