Abstract
Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva) is a member of the B. cereus group which carries both B. anthracis virulence plasmids, causes anthrax-like disease in various wildlife species and was described in several sub-Saharan African rainforests. Long-term monitoring of carcasses in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, revealed continuous wildlife mortality due to Bcbva in a broad range of mammalian species. While non-lethal anthrax infections in wildlife have been described for B. anthracis, nothing is known about the odds of survival following an anthrax infection caused by Bcbva. To address this gap, we present the results of a serological study of anthrax in five wildlife species known to succumb to Bcbva in this ecosystem. Specific antibodies were only detected in two out of 15 wild red colobus monkeys (Procolobus badius) and one out of 10 black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus polykomos), but in none of 16 sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys), 9 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and 9 Maxwell’s duikers (Cephalophus maxwellii). The combination of high mortality and low antibody detection rates indicates high virulence of this disease across these different mammalian species.
Highlights
Anthrax is a zoonosis occurring worldwide, characterized by septicemia and sudden death, mainly in herbivores
It has long been assumed that the disease is exclusively caused by B. anthracis, but recently another member of the B. cereus group, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva), was found to carry both B. anthracis virulence plasmids
All samples originated in an area where Bcbva is known to be endemic and where 40% of carcasses detected in the past were tested positive for protective antigen (PA) ELISA positive
Summary
Anthrax is a zoonosis occurring worldwide, characterized by septicemia and sudden death, mainly in herbivores. Anthrax-like disease, caused by Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (Bcbva), was first reported in 2001 from Taï National Park (TNP), Cote d’Ivoire, where it caused sudden death in chimpanzees [4]. The fatalities in TNP represented the first observation of anthrax-like disease in wild non-human primates and in a rainforest ecosystem [4]. In TNP, continuous carcass monitoring from 2001 to 2015 showed Bcbva to be a major driver of wildlife mortality; Bcbva was the cause of death for over 40% of carcasses found by researchers in this tropical ecosystem [8]. The high prevalence of anthrax-like disease observed at TNP is exceptional, even when compared to other African national parks where anthrax caused by B. anthracis is endemic and considered common [9,10]
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