Abstract
Anthrax is a continuous threat in China, especially in rural regions. In July 2015, an anthrax outbreak occurred in Xifeng County, Liaoning Province. A total of 10 cutaneous anthrax cases were reported, with 210 people under medical observation. In this study, the general characteristics of human anthrax outbreak occurred in Liaoning Province were described, and all cases were caused by butchering and contacting sick animal. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic relationship between outbreak-related isolates/samples of the year 2015 and previous Bacillus anthracis strains was analyzed by means of canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms (canSNP), multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) with 15 markers and single-nucleotide repeats (SNR) analysis. There are two canSNP subgroups found in Liaoning, A.Br.001/002 and A.Br.Ames, and a total of six MLVA 15 genotypes and five SNR genotypes were observed. The strain collected from anthrax outbreak in Xifeng County in 2015 was classified as A.Br.001/002 subgroup and identified as MLVA15-29 genotype, with same SNR profile (CL10: 17, CL12: 15, CL33: 29, and CL35: 13). So we conclude that the same clone of B.anthracis caused the anthrax outbreak in Xifeng County in 2015, and this clone is different to previous isolates. Strengthening public health education in China is one of the most important measures to prevent and control anthrax.
Highlights
Anthrax is an acute zoonotic infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis)
The Variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) profiles and canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms (canSNP) data of 30 B.anthracis strains collected in China (15 of them from Liaoning province) and 12 international strains in previously published study were included into the analysis [18]
It has been known that distant transportation of livestock can cause anthrax outbreak in the importing area, for example, in 2012, a human anthrax outbreak occurred in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province where no anthrax cases have been reported for many years, epidemiological investigation found that the sick cattle as a doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157496.g002
Summary
Anthrax is an acute zoonotic infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis). One strain isolated from dead cattle, 10 blister fluid samples from suspected anthrax patients and 3 raw bone or skin samples from dead cattle in Xifeng County, Liaoning Province, 2015, were analyzed (Table 1).
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