TY - JOUR
T1 - Serologic surveillance of anthrax in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, 1996-2009
AU - Lembo, Tiziana
AU - Hampson, Katie
AU - Auty, Harriet
AU - Beesley, Cari A.
AU - Bessell, Paul
AU - Packer, Craig
AU - Halliday, Jo
AU - Fyumagwa, Robert
AU - Hoare, Richard
AU - Ernest, Eblate
AU - Mentzel, Christine
AU - Mlengeya, Titus
AU - Stamey, Karen
AU - Wilkins, Patricia P.
AU - Cleaveland, Sarah
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, is responsible for varying death rates among animal species. Diffi culties 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 refl ected 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-specifi c variability in exposure, susceptibility, and mortality rates.
AB - Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, is responsible for varying death rates among animal species. Diffi culties 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 refl ected 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-specifi c variability in exposure, susceptibility, and mortality rates.
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U2 - 10.3201/eid1703.101290
DO - 10.3201/eid1703.101290
M3 - Article
C2 - 21392428
AN - SCOPUS:79952335058
SN - 1080-6040
VL - 17
SP - 387
EP - 394
JO - Emerging infectious diseases
JF - Emerging infectious diseases
IS - 3
ER -