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

Lembo, Tiziana; Hampson, Katie; Auty, Harriet; Beesley, Cari A.; Bessell, Paul; Packer, Craig; Halliday, Jo; Fyumagwa, Robert; Hoare, Richard; Ernest, Eblate; Mentzel, Christine; Mlengeya, Titus; Stamey, Karen; Wilkins, Patricia P.; Cleaveland, Sarah

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

Supporting Files Public Domain

Mar 2011
By Lembo, Tiziana ; Hampson, Katie ; Auty, Harriet ; ...

File Language:

English

Details

Alternative Title:

Emerg Infect Dis
Personal Author:

Lembo, Tiziana ; Hampson, Katie ; Auty, Harriet ; Beesley, Cari A. ; Bessell, Paul ; Packer, Craig ; Halliday, Jo ; Fyumagwa, Robert ; Hoare, Richard ; Ernest, Eblate ; Mentzel, Christine ; Mlengeya, Titus ; Stamey, Karen ; Wilkins, Patricia P. ; Cleaveland, Sarah
Description:

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.
Subjects:

Animals Animals, Wild Anthrax Carnivora Dog Diseases Dogs Ecosystem Equidae Research Ruminants Seroepidemiologic Studies
Source:

Emerg Infect Dis. 17(3):387-394.
Document Type:

Journal Article
Place as Subject:

Tanzania
Location:

Africa
Volume:

17
Issue:

3
Collection(s):

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:4f6c2d248c670353fc327639aa5d3a6c990acce9c93e316b22ff40da4dcf4fc3
Download URL:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/18458/cdc_18458_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 374.84 KB ]

File Language:

English

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