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Mondange L, Tessier É, Tournier JN. Pathogenic Bacilli as an Emerging Biothreat? Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11101186. [PMID: 36297243 PMCID: PMC9609551 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis, present as a very durable endospore in soil, causes zoonotic illness which is mainly associated with herbivores and domestic animals. Human cases are scarce and often involve populations close to infected livestock. If anthrax is no longer of public health concern in developed countries, B. anthracis is one of the top-tier biological weapon agents. It is classified by the CDC as a category A agent. Since 1994, emerging strains of Bacillus cereus have been associated with anthrax-like disease in mammals. Some clinical strains of B. cereus harbor anthrax-like plasmid genes (pXO1 and pXO2) associated with non-human primate and human infections, with the same clinical presentation of inhalation anthrax and mortality rates. Although currently restricted to certain limited areas of circulation, the emergence of these new strains of B. cereus extends the list of potential agents possibly usable for bioterrorism or as a biological weapon. It is therefore important to improve our knowledge of the phylogeny within the B. cereus sensu lato group to better understand the origin of these strains. We can then more efficiently monitor the emergence of new strains to better control the risk of infection and limit potentially malicious uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou Mondange
- Bacteriology Unit, Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- Yersinia Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (J.-N.T.)
| | - Émilie Tessier
- Immunopathology Unit, Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
| | - Jean-Nicolas Tournier
- CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- École du Val-de-Grâce, 75015 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (J.-N.T.)
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Abstract
Anthrax has been feared for its high mortality in animals and humans for centuries. The etiologic agent is considered a potentially devastating bioweapon, and since 1876―when Robert Koch demonstrated that Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax―it has been considered the sole cause of the disease. Anthrax is, however, a toxin-mediated disease. The toxins edema toxin and lethal toxin are formed from protein components encoded for by the pXO1 virulence plasmid present in pathogenic B. anthracis strains. However, other members of the Bacillus cereus group, to which B. anthracis belongs, have recently been shown to harbor the pXO1 plasmid and produce anthrax toxins. Infection with these Bacillus cereus group organisms produces a disease clinically similar to anthrax. This suggests that anthrax should be defined by the exotoxins encoded for by the pXO1 plasmid rather than the bacterial species it has historically been associated with, and that the definition of anthrax should be expanded to include disease caused by any member of the B. cereus group containing the toxin-producing pXO1 plasmid or anthrax toxin genes specifically.
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Oliveira-Filho EFD, Carneiro IO, Fischer C, Kühne A, Postigo-Hidalgo I, Ribas JRL, Schumann P, Nowak K, Gogarten JF, de Lamballerie X, Dantas-Torres F, Netto EM, Franke CR, Couacy-Hymann E, Leendertz FH, Drexler JF. Evidence against Zika virus infection of pets and peri-domestic animals in Latin America and Africa. J Gen Virol 2022; 103. [PMID: 35077341 PMCID: PMC8895617 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades after its discovery in East Africa, Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in Brazil in 2013 and infected millions of people during intense urban transmission. Whether vertebrates other than humans are involved in ZIKV transmission cycles remained unclear. Here, we investigate the role of different animals as ZIKV reservoirs by testing 1723 sera of pets, peri-domestic animals and African non-human primates (NHP) sampled during 2013–2018 in Brazil and 2006–2016 in Côte d'Ivoire. Exhaustive neutralization testing substantiated co-circulation of multiple flaviviruses and failed to confirm ZIKV infection in pets or peri-domestic animals in Côte d'Ivoire (n=259) and Brazil (n=1416). In contrast, ZIKV seroprevalence was 22.2% (2/9, 95% CI, 2.8–60.1) in West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and 11.1% (1/9, 95% CI, 0.3–48.3) in king colobus (Colobus polycomos). Our results indicate that while NHP may represent ZIKV reservoirs in Africa, pets or peri-domestic animals likely do not play a role in ZIKV transmission cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmilson F. de Oliveira-Filho
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Carlo Fischer
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arne Kühne
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ignacio Postigo-Hidalgo
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Peggy Schumann
- Labor Berlin, Charité Vivantes Services GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kathrin Nowak
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan F. Gogarten
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Viral Evolution, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Xavier de Lamballerie
- Unité des Virus Émergents (Aix-Marseille University, IRD 190, Inserm 1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Recife, Brazil
| | | | | | - Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann
- Laboratoire National d'Appui au Développement Agricole/Laboratoire Central de Pathologie Animale, Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Fabian H. Leendertz
- Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald, Germany
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), associated partner site Charité, Berlin, Germany
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TaqMan Assays for Simultaneous Detection of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9121074. [PMID: 33371332 PMCID: PMC7767396 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9121074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Primarily a disease of herbivores, human infections often result from direct contact with contaminated animal products (cutaneous and inhalational anthrax) or through consumption of infected meat (gastrointestinal anthrax). The genetic near neighbor, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva), causes an anthrax-like illness in the wildlife and livestock of west and central Africa due to the presence and expression of B. anthracis-specific virulence factors in this background. While Bcbva infections have not been reported in humans, a recent seroprevalence study detected Bcbva antibodies in the rural population around Taï National Park. This work describes the development of new TaqMan multiplex PCRs for the simultaneous detection of B. anthracis and Bcbva. The assays are designed to amplify Ba-1, capB, and lef markers in B. anthracis and genomic island IV (GI4), capB, and lef in Bcbva. Our assays allow for the rapid discrimination of B. anthracis and Bcbva and will provide insights into the molecular epidemiology of these two important pathogens that share an overlapping geographical range in west and central Africa.
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Jessberger N, Dietrich R, Granum PE, Märtlbauer E. The Bacillus cereus Food Infection as Multifactorial Process. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:E701. [PMID: 33167492 PMCID: PMC7694497 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12110701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous soil bacterium Bacillus cereus presents major challenges to food safety. It is responsible for two types of food poisoning, the emetic form due to food intoxication and the diarrheal form emerging from food infections with enteropathogenic strains, also known as toxico-infections, which are the subject of this review. The diarrheal type of food poisoning emerges after production of enterotoxins by viable bacteria in the human intestine. Basically, the manifestation of the disease is, however, the result of a multifactorial process, including B. cereus prevalence and survival in different foods, survival of the stomach passage, spore germination, motility, adhesion, and finally enterotoxin production in the intestine. Moreover, all of these processes are influenced by the consumed foodstuffs as well as the intestinal microbiota which have, therefore, to be considered for a reliable prediction of the hazardous potential of contaminated foods. Current knowledge regarding these single aspects is summarized in this review aiming for risk-oriented diagnostics for enteropathogenic B. cereus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Jessberger
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schönleutnerstr. 8, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (R.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Richard Dietrich
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schönleutnerstr. 8, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (R.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Per Einar Granum
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 NMBU, 1432 Ås, Norway;
| | - Erwin Märtlbauer
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schönleutnerstr. 8, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (R.D.); (E.M.)
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Baldwin VM. You Can't B. cereus - A Review of Bacillus cereus Strains That Cause Anthrax-Like Disease. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1731. [PMID: 32973690 PMCID: PMC7468541 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging strains of Bacillus cereus, traditionally considered a self-limiting foodborne pathogen, have been associated with anthrax-like disease in mammals, including humans. The strains have emerged by divergent evolution and, as exchange of genetic material in the Bacillus genus occurs naturally, it is possible that further isolates will be identified in the future. The strains vary in their genotypes and phenotypes, combining traits of both B. cereus and B. anthracis species. Cases of anthrax-like disease associated with these strains result in similar symptoms and mortality rates as those caused by B. anthracis. The strains are susceptible to frontline antibiotics used in the treatment of anthrax and existing vaccines provide protection in animal models. The emergence of these strains has reignited the debate surrounding classification of the B. cereus sensu lato group and serves as a reminder that the field of medical microbiology is constantly changing and remains an important and ongoing area of research.
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Dupke S, Schubert G, Beudjé F, Barduhn A, Pauly M, Couacy-Hymann E, Grunow R, Akoua-Koffi C, Leendertz FH, Klee SR. Serological evidence for human exposure to Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis in the villages around Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008292. [PMID: 32407387 PMCID: PMC7224451 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva) is an untypical anthrax-causing pathogen responsible for high wildlife mortality in Taï National Park (TNP), Côte d’Ivoire. However, nothing is known about its effect on the rural population living in the region bordering TNP. Contact to bushmeat is a known risk factor for exposure to a variety of zoonotic pathogens, but no human infections with Bcbva were noted so far. Therefore, we performed a retrospective seroprevalence analysis with sera from 1,386 study volunteers. We used assays which detect antibodies against the protective antigen PA, which is synthesized by both Bcbva and classic B. anthracis, and against the recently described antigen pXO2-60, a 35-kDa protein only produced by Bcbva. We found a high seroprevalence (22.37%) of antibodies against PA, and approximately half of those sera (10.46%) were also positive for the Bcbva-specific antigen pXO2-60. All sera negative for PA were also negative for antibodies against pXO2-60, confirming specificity and suitability of the PA/pXO2-60 combined serological assay. The fact that a large fraction of sera was positive for PA but negative for pXO2-60 can most likely be explained by lower immunogenicity of pXO2-60, but exposure to classic B. anthracis cannot be excluded. As only Bcbva has been detected in the TNP area so far, exposure to Bcbva can be suspected from the presence of antibodies against PA alone. In a questionnaire, most study participants reported contact to bushmeat and livestock carcasses. Unfortunately, risk factor analysis indicated that neither animal contacts, sex, age, nor country of origin were significant predictors of Bcbva seroprevalence. Nevertheless, our study added to an assessment of the distribution of Bcbva and its impact on the human population, and our data can serve to raise awareness of anthrax in the affected regions. Anthrax is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans and normally caused by B. anthracis mainly in savanna regions. However, untypical bacteria named Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva) were detected in a variety of wild animals in the rain forest region of the Taï National Park (TNP) in Côte d’Ivoire. No anthrax infections in humans living in the region around TNP were reported until now. Therefore, we assessed exposure to the pathogen by analysis of sera from human volunteers for the presence of antibodies against the protective antigen (PA), which is produced by B. anthracis and Bcbva, and against the Bcbva-specific protein pXO2-60. We found antibodies against PA in more than 20% of sera from humans living in the TNP region, and around 10% possessed also antibodies against pXO2-60, confirming exposure to Bcbva. As only Bcbva, but not classic B. anthracis was found in TNP, we assume that the majority of humans had contact with Bcbva and that pXO2-60 is less immunogenic than PA. Although most people reported animal contacts, there was no statistically significant correlation with the presence of antibodies against Bcbva. Nevertheless, our study confirmed that Bcbva represents a danger for humans living in the affected area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susann Dupke
- Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, ZBS 2: Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Grit Schubert
- Robert Koch Institute, P3: Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Félicité Beudjé
- Laboratoire National d’Appui au Développement Agricole/Laboratoire central de Pathologie Animale, Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Anne Barduhn
- Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, ZBS 2: Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maude Pauly
- Robert Koch Institute, P3: Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann
- Laboratoire National d’Appui au Développement Agricole/Laboratoire central de Pathologie Animale, Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Roland Grunow
- Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, ZBS 2: Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chantal Akoua-Koffi
- Centre de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Alassane Ouattara, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Fabian H. Leendertz
- Robert Koch Institute, P3: Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Silke R. Klee
- Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, ZBS 2: Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
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Norris MH, Blackburn JK. Raxibacumab: a panacea for anthrax disease? THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2020; 20:886-887. [PMID: 32333846 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30164-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Norris
- Spatial Epidemiology and Ecology Research Lab, Department of Geography, and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Jason K Blackburn
- Spatial Epidemiology and Ecology Research Lab, Department of Geography, and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Romero-Alvarez D, Peterson AT, Salzer JS, Pittiglio C, Shadomy S, Traxler R, Vieira AR, Bower WA, Walke H, Campbell LP. Potential distributions of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis causing anthrax in Africa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008131. [PMID: 32150557 PMCID: PMC7082064 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva) is an emergent bacterium closely related to Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax. The latter has a worldwide distribution and usually causes infectious disease in mammals associated with savanna ecosystems. Bcbva was identified in humid tropical forests of Côte d'Ivoire in 2001. Here, we characterize the potential geographic distributions of Bcbva in West Africa and B. anthracis in sub-Saharan Africa using an ecological niche modeling approach. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Georeferenced occurrence data for B. anthracis and Bcbva were obtained from public data repositories and the scientific literature. Combinations of temperature, humidity, vegetation greenness, and soils values served as environmental variables in model calibrations. To predict the potential distribution of suitable environments for each pathogen across the study region, parameter values derived from the median of 10 replicates of the best-performing model for each pathogen were used. We found suitable environments predicted for B. anthracis across areas of confirmed and suspected anthrax activity in sub-Saharan Africa, including an east-west corridor from Ethiopia to Sierra Leone in the Sahel region and multiple areas in eastern, central, and southern Africa. The study area for Bcbva was restricted to West and Central Africa to reflect areas that have likely been accessible to Bcbva by dispersal. Model predicted values indicated potential suitable environments within humid forested environments. Background similarity tests in geographic space indicated statistical support to reject the null hypothesis of similarity when comparing environments associated with B. anthracis to those of Bcbva and when comparing humidity values and soils values individually. We failed to reject the null hypothesis of similarity when comparing environments associated with Bcbva to those of B. anthracis, suggesting that additional investigation is needed to provide a more robust characterization of the Bcbva niche. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE This study represents the first time that the environmental and geographic distribution of Bcbva has been mapped. We document likely differences in ecological niche-and consequently in geographic distribution-between Bcbva and typical B. anthracis, and areas of possible co-occurrence between the two. We provide information crucial to guiding and improving monitoring efforts focused on these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Romero-Alvarez
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - A. Townsend Peterson
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Johanna S. Salzer
- Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Claudia Pittiglio
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Health Service, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy
| | - Sean Shadomy
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Health Service, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy
- One Health Office, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rita Traxler
- Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Antonio R. Vieira
- Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - William A. Bower
- Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Henry Walke
- Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lindsay P. Campbell
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Department of Entomology and Nematology, IFAS | University of Florida, Vero Beach, Florida, United States of America
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Linking Geospatial and Laboratory Sciences to Define Mechanisms behind Landscape Level Drivers of Anthrax Outbreaks. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16193747. [PMID: 31590291 PMCID: PMC6801504 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: A seasonal predictor of anthrax outbreaks is rainfall, which may be approximated by NDVI using remote sensing. How rainfall or vegetative green-up influences bacterial physiology or microecology to drive anthrax outbreaks is not known. Methods: Rainfall and NDVI dependency of anthrax epizootics was demonstrated with global and local phenological analysis. Growth analysis of B. anthracis in response to pH and calcium gradients was carried out. The influence of pH and calcium levels on expression of toxin and sporulation related proteins in broth culture models was characterized using engineered B. anthracis luminescent reporter strains. Results: Short-term bacterial growth and longer-term bacterial survival were altered by pH and calcium. These conditions also played a major role in pagA and sspB promoter-driven luminescent expression in B. anthracis. Conclusions: Rainfall induced cycling of pH and calcium in soils plays a plausible role in amplifying spore load and persistence in endemic anthrax zones. Observed evidence of B. anthracis favoring soil alkalinity and high soil calcium levels in the environment were linked to physiological conditions that promote bacterial growth, survival, toxin secretion and spore formation; illustrating the utility of bringing laboratory-based (controlled) microbiology experiments into the fold of zoonotic disease ecology.
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Gogarten JF, Düx A, Mubemba B, Pléh K, Hoffmann C, Mielke A, Müller-Tiburtius J, Sachse A, Wittig RM, Calvignac-Spencer S, Leendertz FH. Tropical rainforest flies carrying pathogens form stable associations with social nonhuman primates. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4242-4258. [PMID: 31177585 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Living in groups provides benefits but also incurs costs such as attracting disease vectors. For example, synanthropic flies associate with human settlements, and higher fly densities increase pathogen transmission. We investigated whether such associations also exist in highly mobile nonhuman primate (NHP) Groups. We studied flies in a group of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys) and three communities of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. We observed markedly higher fly densities within both mangabey and chimpanzee groups. Using a mark-recapture experiment, we showed that flies stayed with the sooty mangabey group for up to 12 days and for up to 1.3 km. We also tested mangabey-associated flies for pathogens infecting mangabeys in this ecosystem, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva), causing sylvatic anthrax, and Treponema pallidum pertenue, causing yaws. Flies contained treponemal (6/103) and Bcbva (7/103) DNA. We cultured Bcbva from all PCR-positive flies, confirming bacterial viability and suggesting that this bacterium might be transmitted and disseminated by flies. Whole genome sequences of Bcbva isolates revealed a diversity of Bcbva, probably derived from several sources. We conclude that flies actively track mangabeys and carry infectious bacterial pathogens; these associations represent an understudied cost of sociality and potentially expose many social animals to a diversity of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan F Gogarten
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.,Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Viral Evolution, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ariane Düx
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.,Viral Evolution, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Mubemba
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Wildlife Sciences, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Kamilla Pléh
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Constanze Hoffmann
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Mielke
- Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Sachse
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.,Viral Evolution, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian H Leendertz
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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A Novel Orthohepadnavirus Identified in a Dead Maxwell's Duiker ( Philantomba maxwellii) in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Viruses 2019; 11:v11030279. [PMID: 30893858 PMCID: PMC6466360 DOI: 10.3390/v11030279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
New technologies enable viral discovery in a diversity of hosts, providing insights into viral evolution. We used one such approach, the virome capture sequencing for vertebrate viruses (VirCapSeq-VERT) platform, on 21 samples originating from six dead Maxwell’s duikers (Philantomba maxwellii) from Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. We detected the presence of an orthohepadnavirus in one animal and characterized its 3128 bp genome. The highest viral copy numbers were detected in the spleen, followed by the lung, blood, and liver, with the lowest copy numbers in the kidney and heart; the virus was not detected in the jejunum. Viral copy numbers in the blood were in the range known from humans with active chronic infections leading to liver histolytic damage, suggesting this virus could be pathogenic in duikers, though many orthohepadnaviruses appear to be apathogenic in other hosts, precluding a formal test of this hypothesis. The virus was not detected in 29 other dead duiker samples from the Côte d’Ivoire and Central African Republic, suggesting either a spillover event or a low prevalence in these populations. Phylogenetic analysis placed the virus as a divergent member of the mammalian clade of orthohepadnaviruses, though its relationship to other orthohepadnaviruses remains uncertain. This represents the first orthohepadnavirus described in an artiodactyl. We have tentatively named this new member of the genus Orthohepadnavirus (family Hepadnaviridae), Taï Forest hepadnavirus. Further studies are needed to determine whether it, or some close relatives, are present in a broader range of artiodactyls, including livestock.
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Carlson CJ, Getz WM, Kausrud KL, Cizauskas CA, Blackburn JK, Bustos Carrillo FA, Colwell R, Easterday WR, Ganz HH, Kamath PL, Økstad OA, Turner WC, Kolstø AB, Stenseth NC. Spores and soil from six sides: interdisciplinarity and the environmental biology of anthrax (Bacillus anthracis). Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1813-1831. [PMID: 29732670 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Environmentally transmitted diseases are comparatively poorly understood and managed, and their ecology is particularly understudied. Here we identify challenges of studying environmental transmission and persistence with a six-sided interdisciplinary review of the biology of anthrax (Bacillus anthracis). Anthrax is a zoonotic disease capable of maintaining infectious spore banks in soil for decades (or even potentially centuries), and the mechanisms of its environmental persistence have been the topic of significant research and controversy. Where anthrax is endemic, it plays an important ecological role, shaping the dynamics of entire herbivore communities. The complex eco-epidemiology of anthrax, and the mysterious biology of Bacillus anthracis during its environmental stage, have necessitated an interdisciplinary approach to pathogen research. Here, we illustrate different disciplinary perspectives through key advances made by researchers working in Etosha National Park, a long-term ecological research site in Namibia that has exemplified the complexities of the enzootic process of anthrax over decades of surveillance. In Etosha, the role of scavengers and alternative routes (waterborne transmission and flies) has proved unimportant relative to the long-term persistence of anthrax spores in soil and their infection of herbivore hosts. Carcass deposition facilitates green-ups of vegetation to attract herbivores, potentially facilitated by the role of anthrax spores in the rhizosphere. The underlying seasonal pattern of vegetation, and herbivores' immune and behavioural responses to anthrax risk, interact to produce regular 'anthrax seasons' that appear to be a stable feature of the Etosha ecosystem. Through the lens of microbiologists, geneticists, immunologists, ecologists, epidemiologists, and clinicians, we discuss how anthrax dynamics are shaped at the smallest scale by population genetics and interactions within the bacterial communities up to the broadest scales of ecosystem structure. We illustrate the benefits and challenges of this interdisciplinary approach to disease ecology, and suggest ways anthrax might offer insights into the biology of other important pathogens. Bacillus anthracis, and the more recently emerged Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis, share key features with other environmentally transmitted pathogens, including several zoonoses and panzootics of special interest for global health and conservation efforts. Understanding the dynamics of anthrax, and developing interdisciplinary research programs that explore environmental persistence, is a critical step forward for understanding these emerging threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin J Carlson
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, U.S.A.,Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, U.S.A
| | - Wayne M Getz
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.,School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, PB X 54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Kyrre L Kausrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Carrie A Cizauskas
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A
| | - Jason K Blackburn
- Spatial Epidemiology & Ecology Research Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A.,Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, U.S.A
| | - Fausto A Bustos Carrillo
- Department of Epidemiology & Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, U.S.A
| | - Rita Colwell
- CosmosID Inc., Rockville, MD 20850, U.S.A.,Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A.,Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, U.S.A
| | - W Ryan Easterday
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Holly H Ganz
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Pauline L Kamath
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, U.S.A
| | - Ole A Økstad
- Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution and Section for Pharmaceutical Biosciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068 Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wendy C Turner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, U.S.A
| | - Anne-Brit Kolstø
- Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution and Section for Pharmaceutical Biosciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, PO Box 1068 Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nils C Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
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