Explore the vast range of titles available.

Anthrax is one of the tropical diseases that are often overlooked... Anthrax's burden extends beyond its effects on health; it also has an economic cost. Implementing One Health policies requires knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about anthrax prevention and control. However, there is no nationally aggregated evidence in Ethiopia. Therefore, this review was done to generate evidence and offer suggestions for incorporating KAP findings into One Health strategy to prevent and control anthrax in Ethiopia. The protocol was registered in a PROSPERO with a reference CRD420251141478 and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were adhered. The electronic databases: Pub-Med, Scopus, Web of Science, CAB abstracts, AGRICOLA, and Google-Scholar were searched to retrieve the included studies using key search terms with database specific search strings. Studies that reported KAP outcomes in Ethiopian and were published only in English language irrespective of publication time were included in this review. The random-effects model was used to pool effect sizes using STATA 17 software. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity, while sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the pooled estimates. Forest plots were used to display the results. This study included 17 articles with 8,369 participants that met the inclusion criteria. Our synthesis found that consuming raw meat, backyard slaughtering, improperly disposing of carcasses, and sharing a home with animals are common risk factors for anthrax infection in Ethiopia. The pooled knowledge, attitude, and practice levels of anthrax prevention and control were 51.25% (95% CI: 43.93, 58.58; I2 = 98.01%), 59.26% (95% CI: 50.43%, 68.08%; I2 = 98.33%), and 50.62% (95% CI: 42.95, 58.29; I2 = 97.93%), respectively. Half of the communities in Ethiopia remain with suboptimal knowledge, attitudes, and practices for anthrax prevention and control. This could lead to ineffective outbreak management, delayed reporting, and continuous transmission of anthrax to humans and animals, particularly in endemic areas. As a result, from a One Health perspective, an integrated multisectoral intervention is urgently required to promote collaboration among the human, animal, and environmental health sectors.

Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium responsible for anthrax, an acute infection that most significantly affects grazing livestock and wild ungulates, but also poses a threat to human health. The geographic extent of B . anthracis is poorly understood, despite multi-decade research on anthrax epizootic and epidemic dynamics; many countries have limited or inadequate surveillance systems, even within known endemic regions. Here, we compile a global occurrence dataset of human, livestock and wildlife anthrax outbreaks. With these records, we use boosted regression trees to produce a map of the global distribution of B . anthracis as a proxy for anthrax risk. We estimate that 1.83 billion people (95% credible interval (CI): 0.59–4.16 billion) live within regions of anthrax risk, but most of that population faces little occupational exposure. More informatively, a global total of 63.8 million poor livestock keepers (95% CI: 17.5–168.6 million) and 1.1 billion livestock (95% CI: 0.4–2.3 billion) live within vulnerable regions. Human and livestock vulnerability are both concentrated in rural rainfed systems throughout arid and temperate land across Eurasia, Africa and North America. We conclude by mapping where anthrax risk could disrupt sensitive conservation efforts for wild ungulates that coincide with anthrax-prone landscapes. Occurrence modelling of Bacillus anthracis defines global human and animal risk of anthrax infection.

This article describes Bacillus anthracis strains isolated during an outbreak of anthrax on the Yamal Peninsula in the summer of 2016 and independently in Yakutia in 2015. A common feature of these strains is their conservation in permafrost, from which they were extracted either due to the thawing of permafrost (Yamal strains) or as the result of paleontological excavations (Yakut strains). All strains isolated on the Yamal share an identical genotype belonging to lineage B.Br.001/002, pointing to a common source of infection in a territory over 250 km in length. In contrast, during the excavations in Yakutia, three genetically different strains were recovered from a single pit. One strain belongs to B.Br.001/002, and whole genome sequence analysis showed that it is most closely related to the Yamal strains in spite of the remoteness of Yamal from Yakutia. The two other strains contribute to two different branches of A.Br.008/011, one of the remarkable polytomies described so far in the B. anthracis species. The geographic distribution of the strains belonging to A.Br.008/011 is suggesting that the polytomy emerged in the thirteenth century, in combination with the constitution of a unified Mongol empire extending from China to Eastern Europe. We propose an evolutionary model for B. anthracis recent evolution in which the B lineage spread throughout Eurasia and was subsequently replaced by the A lineage except in some geographically isolated areas.

On April 20, 2018, the Kween District Health Office in Kween District, Uganda reported 7 suspected cases of human anthrax. A team from the Uganda Ministry of Health and partners investigated and identified 49 cases, 3 confirmed and 46 suspected; no deaths were reported. Multiple exposures from handling the carcass of a cow that had died suddenly were significantly associated with cutaneous anthrax, whereas eating meat from that cow was associated with gastrointestinal anthrax. Eating undercooked meat was significantly associated with gastrointestinal anthrax, but boiling the meat for >60 minutes was protective. We recommended providing postexposure antimicrobial prophylaxis for all exposed persons, vaccinating healthy livestock in the area, educating farmers to safely dispose of animal carcasses, and avoiding handling or eating meat from livestock that died of unknown causes.

Extracellular vesicle production is a ubiquitous process in Gram-negative bacteria, but little is known about such process in Gram-positive bacteria. We report the isolation of extracellular vesicles from the supernatants of Bacillus anthracis, a Gram-positive bacillus that is a powerful agent for biological warfare. B. anthracis vesicles formed at the outer layer of the bacterial cell had double-membrane spheres and ranged from 50 to 150 nm in diameter. Immunoelectron microscopy with mAbs to protective antigen, lethal factor, edema toxin, and anthrolysin revealed toxin components and anthrolysin in vesicles, with some vesicles containing more than one toxin component. Toxin-containing vesicles were also visualized inside B. anthracis-infected macrophages. ELISA and immunoblot analysis of vesicle preparations confirmed the presence of B. anthracis toxin components. A mAb to protective antigen protected macrophages against vesicles from an anthrolysin-deficient strain, but not against vesicles from Sterne 34F2 and Sterne δT strains, consistent with the notion that vesicles delivered both toxin and anthrolysin to host cells. Vesicles were immunogenic in BALB/c mice, which produced a robust IgM response to toxin components. Furthermore, vesicle-immunized mice lived significantly longer than controls after B. anthracis challenge. Our results indicate that toxin secretion in B. anthracis is, at least, partially vesicle-associated, thus allowing concentrated delivery of toxin components to target host cells, a mechanism that may increase toxin potency. Our observations may have important implications for the design of vaccines, for passive antibody strategies, and provide a previously unexplored system for studying secretory pathways in Gram-positive bacteria.

Anthrax is a priority zoonosis for control in Vietnam. The geographic distribution of anthrax remains to be defined, challenging our ability to target areas for control. We analyzed human anthrax cases in Vietnam to obtain anthrax incidence at the national and provincial level. Nationally, the trendline for cases remained at ≈61 cases/year throughout the 26 years of available data, indicating control efforts are not effectively reducing disease burden over time. Most anthrax cases occurred in the Northern Midlands and Mountainous regions, and the provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, and Son La experienced some of the highest incidence rates. Based on spatial Bayes smoothed maps, every region of Vietnam experienced human anthrax cases during the study period. Clarifying the distribution of anthrax in Vietnam will enable us to better identify risk areas for improved surveillance, rapid clinical care, and livestock vaccination campaigns.

Anthrax remains a neglected zoonotic disease of critical public and animal health significance in Zambia, particularly in regions with active human-wildlife-livestock interfaces such as the Western, Southern and Eastern provinces of Zambia. This study explores the socio-ecological drivers of anthrax transmission and examines the role of legal and illegal wildlife trade value chains in sustaining outbreaks. Secondly, the study explores the methodology used to investigate community knowledge, perceptions, and the impacts of anthrax through focus group discussions (FGDs) and a hybrid approach combining traditional thematic analysis with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The research was framed within the interpretivist paradigm, aiming to understand shared experiences and socio-cultural contexts. The study utilized focus groups to encourage interaction and generate rich, collective insights. The hybrid approach allowed for data analysis that combined researcher-led reflexivity with AI-driven thematic analysis. Findings reveal diverse levels of awareness about anthrax, widespread misconceptions, and the influence of cultural beliefs on health behaviours. Communities linked anthrax outbreaks to interactions with wildlife and the illegal game meat trade, highlighting the complex interplay of ecological, economic, and behavioural factors in disease dynamics. Additionally, the study underscores the socioeconomic toll of anthrax, including livestock losses, disrupted livelihoods, and food insecurity, compounded by inadequate public health and veterinary responses. The insights gained from this research emphasize the need for multi-sectoral interventions tailored to the specific needs of these communities.

Bacillus anthracis infection is rare in developed countries. However, recent outbreaks in the United States and Europe and the potential use of the bacteria for bioterrorism have focused interest on it. Furthermore, although anthrax was known to typically occur as one of three syndromes related to entry site of (i.e., cutaneous, gastrointestinal, or inhalational), a fourth syndrome including severe soft tissue infection in injectional drug users is emerging. Although shock has been described with cutaneous anthrax, it appears much more common with gastrointestinal, inhalational (5 of 11 patients in the 2001 outbreak in the United States), and injectional anthrax. Based in part on case series, the estimated mortalities of cutaneous, gastrointestinal, inhalational, and injectional anthrax are 1%, 25 to 60%, 46%, and 33%, respectively. Nonspecific early symptomatology makes initial identification of anthrax cases difficult. Clues to anthrax infection include history of exposure to herbivore animal products, heroin use, or clustering of patients with similar respiratory symptoms concerning for a bioterrorist event. Once anthrax is suspected, the diagnosis can usually be made with Gram stain and culture from blood or surgical specimens followed by confirmatory testing (e.g., PCR or immunohistochemistry). Although antibiotic therapy (largely quinolone-based) is the mainstay of anthrax treatment, the use of adjunctive therapies such as anthrax toxin antagonists is a consideration.

Anthrax is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. We qualitatively examined facilitators and barriers to responding to a potential anthrax outbreak using the capability, opportunity, motivation behaviour model (COM-B model) in the high-risk rural district of Namisindwa, in Eastern Uganda. We chose the COM-B model because it provides a systematic approach for selecting evidence-based techniques and approaches for promoting the behavioural prompt response to anthrax outbreaks. Unpacking these facilitators and barriers enables the leaders and community members to understand existing resources and gaps so that they can leverage them for future anthrax outbreaks. This was a qualitative cross-sectional study that was part of a bigger anthrax outbreak simulation study conducted in September 2023. We conducted 10 Key Informant interviews among key stakeholders. The interviews were audio recorded on Android-enabled phones and later transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed using a deductive thematic content approach through Nvivo 12. The facilitators were; knowledge of respondents about anthrax disease and anthrax outbreak response, experience and presence of surveillance guidelines, availability of resources, and presence of communication channels. The identified barriers were; porous boarders that facilitate unregulated animal trade across, lack of essential personal protective equipment, and lack of funds for surveillance and response activities. Generally, the district was partially ready for the next anthrax outbreak. The district was resourced in terms of human resources but lacked adequate funds for animal, environmental and human surveillance activities for anthrax and related response. The district technical staff had the knowledge required to respond to the anthrax outbreak but lacked adequate funds for animal, environmental and human surveillance for anthrax and related response. We think that our study findings are generalizable in similar settings and therefore call for the implementation of such periodic evaluations to help leverage the strong areas and improve other aspects. Anthrax is a growing threat in the region, and there should be proactive efforts in prevention, specifically, we recommend vaccination of livestock and further research for human vaccines.

Anthrax, a neglected zoonotic disease caused by , exerts considerable health consequences in resource-limited regions and is notably prevalent in India, causing persistent outbreaks that pose major animal and public health challenges. This study reviews the spatiotemporal patterns of human and animal anthrax outbreaks in India to identify high-risk areas and assess the correlation with environmental factors. A comprehensive literature search covering the period from 1990 to 2022 was conducted across various databases including CAB Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, alongside Indian government databases like the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the National Animal Disease Referral Expert System (NADRES). We extracted data from studies published in English, using predefined keywords, and evaluated them using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. Data analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and EpiInfo, with spatial mapping in ArcGIS Pro. Out of the 423 studies reviewed, 44 fulfilled our inclusion criteria, providing data on 174 human outbreaks (1778 cases, 130 fatalities) and 1775 animal outbreaks (7818 deaths). We identified key hotspots for human anthrax in West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, and significant hotspots for animal anthrax in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Majority of human outbreaks were reported between March and June, whereas the majority of animal outbreaks were reported between June and September. A strong correlation was observed between rainfall and animal outbreaks in the eastern region (correlation coefficient of 0.94). The study highlights key hotspots for human and animal anthrax and discrepancies in human and animal anthrax reporting and gaps in surveillance. There is a critical need for enhanced One Health surveillance and animal anthrax vaccination programs for effective management and mitigate the disease. These strategies are essential not only for public health and livestock welfare in India but also for global health security.