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Lekota KE, Hassim A, Ledwaba MB, Glover BA, Dekker EH, van Schalkwyk LO, Rossouw J, Beyer W, Vergnaud G, van Heerden H. Bacillus anthracis in South Africa, 1975-2013: are some lineages vanishing? BMC Genomics 2024; 25:742. [PMID: 39080521 PMCID: PMC11290001 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10631-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The anthrax-causing bacterium Bacillus anthracis comprises the genetic clades A, B, and C. In the northernmost part (Pafuri) of Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, both the common A and rare B strains clades occur. The B clade strains were reported to be dominant in Pafuri before 1991, while A clade strains occurred towards the central parts of KNP. The prevalence of B clade strains is currently much lower as only A clade strains have been isolated from 1992 onwards in KNP. In this study 319 B. anthracis strains were characterized with 31-loci multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA-31). B clade strains from soil (n = 9) and a Tragelaphus strepsiceros carcass (n = 1) were further characterised by whole genome sequencing and compared to publicly available genomes. The KNP strains clustered in the B clade before 1991 into two dominant genotypes. South African strains cluster into a dominant genotype A.Br.005/006 consisting of KNP as well as the other anthrax endemic region, Northern Cape Province (NCP), South Africa. A few A.Br.001/002 strains from both endemic areas were also identified. Subclade A.Br.101 belonging to the A.Br.Aust94 lineage was reported in the NCP. The B-clade strains seems to be vanishing, while outbreaks in South Africa are caused mainly by the A.Br.005/006 genotypes as well as a few minor clades such as A.Br.001/002 and A.Br.101 present in NCP. This work confirmed the existence of the rare and vanishing B-clade strains that group in B.Br.001 branch with KrugerB and A0991 KNP strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kgaugelo Edward Lekota
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management: Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Ayesha Hassim
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - Maphuti Betty Ledwaba
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
- Department of Agriculture & Animal Health, College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, 28 Pioneer Street, Florida Park, Roodepoort, 1710, South Africa
| | - Barbara A Glover
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - Edgar H Dekker
- Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa
| | - Louis Ockert van Schalkwyk
- Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa
| | - Jennifer Rossouw
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Wolfgang Beyer
- Institute of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Gilles Vergnaud
- CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Henriette van Heerden
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
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Portas R, Aschenborn OHK, Melzheimer J, Le Roux M, Uiseb KH, Czirják GÁ, Wachter B. GPS Telemetry Reveals a Zebra With Anthrax as Putative Cause of Death for Three Cheetahs in the Namib Desert. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:714758. [PMID: 34490403 PMCID: PMC8417783 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.714758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that affects wildlife, livestock and also humans in different parts of the world. It is endemic in some parts of Africa, including Namibia, with species differing in their susceptibility to the disease. Carnivores are typically less susceptible to anthrax than herbivores. Most carnivore species survive infection and have high seroprevalence against anthrax, whereas most herbivore species have low seroprevalence and typically die quickly when infected. Several reports have shown that cheetahs, unlike most other large carnivores, are susceptible to anthrax leading to a sudden death. This finding was suggested to be linked to the low genetic variability of cheetahs which might reduce an adequate immune response and thus explain such a high susceptibility to the disease. Here, we report an incidence of three free-ranging cheetahs that died within 24 h after feeding on a mountain zebra that tested positive for anthrax in the Namib Desert. We were able to reconstruct this incidence with the data recorded in the GPS (Global Positioning System) collar worn by one of the cheetahs and retrieved in the field. It is very likely that the cheetahs died from anthrax, although Bacillus anthracis could not be isolated from tissue and soil samples by bacterial culturing. The mountain zebra is the first described case of a wild animal that tested positive for anthrax in this arid area in southwestern of Namibia. We discuss the negative laboratory results of the cheetahs in the light of new insights of their immune system and its potential to mount a response against this bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Portas
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Joerg Melzheimer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Manie Le Roux
- Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Directorate of Wildlife and National Parks, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Kenneth Heinrich Uiseb
- Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Directorate of Scientific Services, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Gábor Árpád Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
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Blumenthal R, Hoosen A, Skosana LB, Weyer J. A Fatal Case of Rickettsiosis From South Africa. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2021; 42:e57-e58. [PMID: 33788777 DOI: 10.1097/paf.0000000000000671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT We present a case of fatal Rickettsiosis from South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anwar Hoosen
- Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
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