Spoil Spores

A potentially fatal disease caused by the spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, anthrax is often discussed for its potential as a sinister biological weapon. Yet typical infection routes are more mundane, through contact with contaminated water, soil, or infected animals. In particular, herbivores like cattle can ingest naturally-occurring spores in soil while grazing. Vaccines provide effective protection against infection, but spores can remain dormant in soil for several years, so livestock should be regularly vaccinated wherever anthrax was once present. In northern Vietnam, where domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis, pictured) are major hosts for B. anthracis, recent records show substantial overlap between anthrax cases in humans and livestock, while virtually all cases with sufficient information involved contact with sick or dead animals, or meat. More happily, fewer human cases were reported when livestock vaccination rates were high, demonstrating the importance of vaccination for protecting animals, humans and their livelihoods.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

Website

• Image by Jason K. Blackburn, Spatial Epidemiology and Ecology Research Laboratory (SEER Lab), University of Florida, Gainesville,FL, USA
• and research by Luong Minh Tan, Doan Ngoc Hung et al JK Blackburn lab & Provincial Center for Disease Control, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien, Vietnam
• Image copyright held by Jason K Blackburn
• Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, December 2022