Naturally Acquired Anthrax Antibodies in a Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Botswana

Good, Kyle; Houser, AnnMarie; Arntzen, Lorraine; Turnbull, P. C. B.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-44.3.721

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Lions and hyenas may be exposed through consumption of infected prey, but domestic dogs may also be exposed when they scavenge infected carcasses (wildlife and livestock). Low seroprevalence rates and high mortality rates have been reported for cheetahs ( 15 , 16 ). These rates are consistent with the fact that cheetahs do not scavenge, and solitary hunting exposes them to fewer carcasses than group-hunting lions and hyenas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serologic Surveillance of Anthrax in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania, 1996–2009

Lembo¹,

Hampson²,

Auty³

et al. 2011

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, is responsible for varying death rates among animal species. Difficulties in case detection, hazardous or inaccessible carcasses, and misdiagnosis hinder surveillance. Using case reports and a new serologic assay that enables multispecies comparisons, we examined exposure to and illness caused by B. anthracis in different species in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania during 1996–2009 and the utility of serosurveillance. High seroprevalence among carnivores suggested regular nonfatal exposure. Seropositive wildebeest and buffalo showed that infection was not invariably fatal among herbivores, whereas absence of seropositivity in zebras and frequent detection of fatal cases indicated high susceptibility. Exposure patterns in dogs reflected known patterns of endemicity and provided new information about anthrax in the ecosystem, which indicated the potential of dogs as indicator species. Serosurveillance is a valuable tool for monitoring and detecting anthrax and may shed light on mechanisms responsible for species-specific variability in exposure, susceptibility, and mortality rates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serologic Surveillance of Anthrax in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania, 1996–2009

Lembo¹,

Hampson²,

Auty³

et al. 2011

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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“…High prevalence rates (>50%) were found in faeces of scavengers (vulture, jackal and hyaena) collected within the vicinity of confirmed anthrax cases and 26% of water samples from associated national park waterholes were positive for anthrax organisms (52). Predation is a common method of transmitting anthrax to carnivores as seen in the cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ) whose source of infection is often the baboon ( Papio ursinus ) or red hartebeest ( Alcelaphus buselaphus ) (53, 54). On the contrary, exposure patterns in dogs have reflected known patterns of endemicity and in some cases provided new information about anthrax in the ecosystem, suggesting the potential of carnivores to be indicators of the disease (55).…”

Section: Bacterial Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonoses: a potential obstacle to the growing wildlife industry of Namibia

Magwedere

Hemberger

Hoffman

et al. 2012

Infection Ecology & Epidemiology

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Zoonoses, which account for approximately 75% of emerging human infectious diseases worldwide, pose a re-emerging threat to public health. With an ever-increasing interrelationship between humans, livestock and wildlife species, the threat to human health will rise to unprecedented levels. Wildlife species contribute to the majority of emerging diseases; therefore, there is an urgent need to define control systems of zoonoses of wildlife origin but very little information exists. In this review, we examine prevalent zoonotic infections reported in Namibia between 1990 and 2009 and assess their potential impact on the growing wildlife industry. A wide spectrum of zoonotic diseases was confirmed in both livestock and wildlife species, with rabies and anthrax cases being over-represented and also showing the widest species distribution. Whilst vaccination and ante-mortem inspection against these diseases may curb infected livestock species from entering the human food chain, such practices are difficult to implement in free-ranging wildlife species. In this context, there is a need to improve existing control measures and/or develop novel and better interventional strategies to reduce the threat of this re-emerging global problem. This review provides the basis for initiating a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach to control zoonoses in countries with thriving wildlife and game farming.

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“…Anthrax There have been multiple published and anecdotal cases of anthrax in wild and captive cheetahs (Ebedes, 1976;Good et al, 2008;Jäger et al, 1990;de Pienaar, 1961). Most outbreaks can be linked to contaminated carcasses fed to captive animals or concurrent outbreaks in other wildlife.…”

Section: Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Affected cheetahs may have increased respiratory rate and effort and can vomit (Jäger et al, 1990). similar to other carnivores, cheetahs may have ventral and cervical edema, bloody nasal discharge, scleral congestion, and pulmonary edema (Good et al, 2008;Jäger et al, 1990). serosurveys after an anthrax outbreak in Botswana found that only 1 of 16 potentially exposed cheetahs had antibodies (Good et al, 2008) and cheetahs in Namibia also do not have antibodies to anthrax (switzer et al, 2016).…”

Section: Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…similar to other carnivores, cheetahs may have ventral and cervical edema, bloody nasal discharge, scleral congestion, and pulmonary edema (Good et al, 2008;Jäger et al, 1990). serosurveys after an anthrax outbreak in Botswana found that only 1 of 16 potentially exposed cheetahs had antibodies (Good et al, 2008) and cheetahs in Namibia also do not have antibodies to anthrax (switzer et al, 2016). These results support claims that cheetahs are susceptible because they have low levels of exposure (as they generally do not scavenge), thus infection is often fatal (Lindeque et al, 1998).…”

Section: Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

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