Blowflies as vectors of Bacillus anthracis in the Kruger National Park

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dc.contributor.author Basson, Lizanne
dc.contributor.author Hassim, Ayesha
dc.contributor.author Dekker, At
dc.contributor.author Gilbert, Allison
dc.contributor.author Beyer, Wolfgang
dc.contributor.author Rossouw, Jennifer
dc.contributor.author Van Heerden, Henriette
dc.date.accessioned 2018-09-27T09:21:03Z
dc.date.available 2018-09-27T09:21:03Z
dc.date.issued 2018-06-26
dc.description.abstract Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is endemic in the Kruger National Park (KNP). The epidemiology of B. anthracis is dependent on various factors including vectors. The aims of this study were to examine non-biting blowflies for the presence of B. anthracis externally and internally after feeding on an anthrax-infected carcass and to determine the role of flies in disseminating B. anthracis onto the surrounding vegetation. During an anthrax outbreak in 2014 in the endemic Pafuri region, blowflies associated with two 2–3-day-old anthrax-positive carcasses (kudu and impala) as well as surrounding vegetation were collected and investigated for the presence of B. anthracis spores. The non-biting blowflies (n = 57) caught included Chrysomya albiceps, Ch. marginalis and Lucilia spp. Bacillus anthracis spores were isolated from 65.5% and 25.0% of blowflies collected from the kudu and impala carcasses, respectively. Chrysomya albiceps and Ch. marginalis have the potential to disseminate B. anthracis to vegetation from infected carcasses and may play a role in the epidemiology of anthrax in the KNP. No B. anthracis spores were initially isolated from leaves of the surrounding vegetation using selective media. However, 170 and 500 spores were subsequently isolated from Abutilon angulatum and Acacia sp. leaves, respectively, when using sheep blood agar. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS : The results obtained in this study have no direct conservation implications and only assist in the understanding of the spread of the disease. en_ZA
dc.description.department Veterinary Tropical Diseases en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2018 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship The National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA). en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.koedoe.co.za en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Basson, L., Hassim, A., Dekker, A., Gilbert, A., Beyer, W., Rossouw, J. & Van Heerden, H., 2018, ‘Blowflies as vectors of Bacillus anthracis in the Kruger National Park’, Koedoe 60(1), a1468. https://DOI.org/10.4102/koedoe.v60i1.1468. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 0075-6458 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 2071-0771 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.4102/koedoe.v60i1.1468
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/66652
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher AOSIS Open Journals en_ZA
dc.rights © 2018. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. en_ZA
dc.subject Anthrax en_ZA
dc.subject Conservation en_ZA
dc.subject Bacillus anthracis en_ZA
dc.subject Kruger National Park (KNP) en_ZA
dc.subject Kruger National Park (South Africa) en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa (SA) en_ZA
dc.subject Transmission en_ZA
dc.subject Epizootics en_ZA
dc.subject Bacteria en_ZA
dc.subject Wildlife en_ZA
dc.subject Diptera en_ZA
dc.subject Blowflies en_ZA
dc.title Blowflies as vectors of Bacillus anthracis in the Kruger National Park en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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