Anthrax: a lurking threat to humans and animals

Anthrax is primarily a disease of herbivorous animals, such as cattle or sheep, but it can also affect humans and be fatal. In addition, anthrax is known to be a biological weapon. This study used archival work to identify historical B. anthracis soil reservoirs in Austria and isolate viable spores, including from an abandoned tannery.

Unveiling the Past to Safeguard the Future

The identification and analysis of historical anthrax outbreaks can be a treasure trove for closing the gaps in the temporal persistence and genetic diversity of Bacillus anthracis. We analysed archived records of anthrax outbreaks in Austria to locate historical soil reservoirs of B. anthracis. In parallel, we tested soil processing protocols to develop an effective screening method for historical anthrax finds,' explains the study's first author, Maximilian F. Mayerhofer-Rochel, an officer in the ‘Armaments and Defence Technology Agency, NBC & Environmental Protection Technology Division’ and a PhD student at the Institute of Microbiology at the Vetmeduni Vienna's Centre for Pathobiology. Using an optimised workflow, the scientists successfully isolated viable B. anthracis spores at a former tannery 80 years after the last documented anthrax case. “Our results underline the need for systematic monitoring of such sites to differentiate natural occurrence and possible deliberate release," explains Mayerhofer-Rochel.

Dormant Anthrax Spores: A Hidden Danger Awakened by Environmental Changes and Human Intervention

Genome analysis of the isolated strains provides valuable insights into the genetic diversity of the pathogen and improves the phylogeographic resolution within the previously not well characterised A.Br.064 (V770) canSNP group by linking historical records with genetic information. Our results clearly show that B. anthracis can persist for decades at historical sites and pose a health threat if such sites are reactivated by climatic factors or human intervention," emphasises Monika Ehling-Schulz, head of the Centre for Pathobiology at Vetmeduni Vienna and senior author of the study.

Anthrax: a continuous threat from a One Health perspective

B. anthracis is a permanent threat from a One Health perspective as it causes severe infections in animals and humans. In particular, ongoing climate change and human activities may reactivate historical B. anthracis sites. Knowledge of historical anthrax incidents in abandoned animal processing plants, tanneries, or farms and robust detection protocols are therefore of paramount importance for the surveillance of this important zoonosis. This study shows that archival records are a valuable resource to support these efforts.

One Health: Prevention through knowledge

Monika Ehling-Schulz emphasises that this new knowledge can increase safety: "Testing for viable spores at such historical sites could not only provide new insights into the past genetic diversity and population structure of B. anthracis. It could also provide important information for taking appropriate measures to prevent future outbreaks originating from these sites. In particular, documented knowledge from government archives and archive material on tanneries and animal processing plants should be considered, the scientists recommend.

The results of the study were published in the article 'Persistence in Time: The hunt for Bacillus anthracis at a historic tannery site in Austria reveals genetic diversity thought extinct' by Maximilian F. Mayerhofer, Florian Himmelbauer, Pierre Reinprecht, Sebastian Herndler, Hugo Weidlinger, Hans-Jörg Hellinger, Michael P. Szostak, Gregor Grass and Monika Ehling-Schulz in 'Applied and Environmental Microbiology'.


Scientific article

 

Contact for further information:
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Monika Ehling-Schulz
Institute of Microbiology
Centre for Pathobiology
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni)
Monika.Ehling-Schulz@vetmeduni.ac.at