Abstract
Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is endemic in the Kruger National Park (KNP). The epidemiology of B. anthracis is dependent on various factors including vectors.The aims of this study were to examine non-biting blowflies for the presence of B. anthracis externally and internally after feeding on an anthrax-infected carcass and to determine the role of flies in disseminating B. anthracis onto the surrounding vegetation.During an anthrax outbreak in 2014 in the endemic Pafuri region, blowflies associated with two 2–3-day-old anthrax-positive carcasses (kudu and impala) as well as surrounding vegetation were collected and investigated for the presence of B. anthracis spores.The non-biting blowflies (n = 57) caught included Chrysomya albiceps, Ch. marginalis and Lucilia spp. Bacillus anthracis spores were isolated from 65.5% and 25.0% of blowflies collected from the kudu and impala carcasses, respectively.Chrysomya albiceps and Ch. marginalis have the potential to disseminate B. anthracis to vegetation from infected carcasses and may play a role in the epidemiology of anthrax in the KNP. No B. anthracis spores were initially isolated from leaves of the surrounding vegetation using selective media. However, 170 and 500 spores were subsequently isolated from Abutilon angulatum and Acacia sp. leaves, respectively, when using sheep blood agar.Conservation implications: The results obtained in this study have no direct conservation implications and only assist in the understanding of the spread of the disease.
Highlights
Anthrax is a serious zoonotic disease affecting mainly herbivores
Ch. albiceps and Lucilia spp. females were collected from the kudu carcass, whereas only Ch. marginalis males and females were collected from the impala carcass (Table 1)
A total of 26 (46%; 26/57) blowflies were positive for the presence of B. anthracis spores, with 66% (19/29) of blowflies collected from the kudu carcass and 25% (7/28) of the blowflies collected from the impala carcass (Table 2)
Summary
Anthrax is a serious zoonotic disease affecting mainly herbivores. It is caused by the soil-borne, Gram-positive, spore-forming organism Bacillus anthracis. The spores are ingested by a susceptible host, where germination and multiplication occur in vivo. The host dies and the carcass is opened by scavengers or human, resulting in the vegetative cells being exposed to oxygen and sporulating; remaining in the soil until another host ingests the spores and the cycle is repeated (Dragon & Rennie 1995). The disease cannot spread from one living animal to the ; the life cycle is dependent on various factors including rainfall, temperature, type of soil, animal densities and the presence of susceptible hosts (Dragon & Rennie 1995)
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