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Microorganisms
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Bacillus anthracis: Infection Mechanisms, Vaccination and Immune Response
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Bacillus anthracis: Infection Mechanisms, Vaccination and Immune Response

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 4718

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Domenico Galante

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Interests: veterinary bacteriology; Bacillus anthracis; anthrax; molecular diagnostics; molecular typing; vaccines; immunology; mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Henriëtte Van Heerden

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Interests: veterinary bacteriology; immunology; ecology; epidemiology; molecular biological characterization of anthrax; brucellosis and other zoonotic diseases; anthrax vaccines development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Anthrax is a significant infectious disease that affects a wide range of mammals, including humans, when exposed to infected animals or infected products of animal origin. The etiological agent of anthrax is Bacillus anthracis, a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is able to produce extremely resistant spores that can survive in the environment for several decades.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions that focus on advancing our understanding of Bacillus anthracis infection, bacterium–host interactions, immunology, animal models, vaccine strategies and related immune responses among livestock and wild animals. Original research articles, reviews and method papers are welcome.

Dr. Domenico Galante
Dr. Henriëtte Van Heerden
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Bacillus anthracis
  • anthrax
  • infection
  • pathogenesis
  • immunology
  • vaccines
  • immune response

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 723 KiB  
Article
Soil Sample Analysis of Bacillus anthracis Contaminated Animal Burial Sites
by Mitat Sahin, Thomas R. Laws, Hugh Dyson, Ozgur Celebi, Mehmet Doganay, Fatih Buyuk and Les Baillie
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12101944 (registering DOI) - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Environmental contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores poses clear threats to livestock that play key roles in the economies of pastoral communities. Regular monitoring of contaminated sites is particularly important in anthrax-endemic parts of the world, such as Kars province in eastern Türkiye, where [...] Read more.
Environmental contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores poses clear threats to livestock that play key roles in the economies of pastoral communities. Regular monitoring of contaminated sites is particularly important in anthrax-endemic parts of the world, such as Kars province in eastern Türkiye, where the Veterinary Microbiology Department of Kafkas University has conducted an anthrax surveillance programme for over 30 years. We reviewed the microbiological results of 232 soil samples collected during 2009–2023, from sites known to be contaminated with B. anthracis spores following burial or butchering of infected animal carcasses. Twenty-five contaminated sites in 16 villages were studied. Samples were taken from a total of 61 different positions within these sites and viable spores were detected in 136 (58.6%) of the samples examined. Of the 96 samples from which spores were not recovered, subsequent samples from the same positions proved positive on 21 occasions. Using a standardised sampling plan, it was discovered that samples taken 1–2 m on a downward slope from the centre-point of contamination had higher (p < 0.001) spore concentrations than those taken from other positions. Although spore concentrations at some sampling positions varied over time, the overall values remained stable. This finding contrasts with observations in other parts of the world where spore concentrations tend to decline with time and may reflect regional differences in soil composition that permit more prolonged spore persistence. Concentrations of >100 spores/g soil were found in 10 (66.7%) of the 15 samples taken 10–13 years following a contamination event. These results demonstrate the longevity of viable anthrax spores in the soil of agricultural environments following decomposition of infected animal carcasses, and therefore the need for prolonged bacteriological monitoring of contaminated sites. Furthermore, they underline the importance of appropriate decontamination, as burial on its own does not eliminate all spores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacillus anthracis: Infection Mechanisms, Vaccination and Immune Response)
25 pages, 8712 KiB  
Article
Early Circulating Edema Factor in Inhalational Anthrax Infection: Does It Matter?
by Emilie Tessier, Laurence Cheutin, Annabelle Garnier, Clarisse Vigne, Jean-Nicolas Tournier and Clémence Rougeaux
Microorganisms 2024, 12(2), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020308 - 31 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Anthrax toxins are critical virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus strains that cause anthrax-like disease, composed of a common binding factor, the protective antigen (PA), and two enzymatic proteins, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). While PA is required for [...] Read more.
Anthrax toxins are critical virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus strains that cause anthrax-like disease, composed of a common binding factor, the protective antigen (PA), and two enzymatic proteins, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). While PA is required for endocytosis and activity of EF and LF, several studies showed that these enzymatic factors disseminate within the body in the absence of PA after intranasal infection. In an effort to understand the impact of EF in the absence of PA, we used a fluorescent EF chimera to facilitate the study of endocytosis in different cell lines. Unexpectedly, EF was found inside cells in the absence of PA and showed a pole-dependent endocytosis. However, looking at enzymatic activity, PA was still required for EF to induce an increase in intracellular cAMP levels. Interestingly, the sequential delivery of EF and then PA rescued the rise in cAMP levels, indicating that PA and EF may functionally associate during intracellular trafficking, as well as it did at the cell surface. Our data shed new light on EF trafficking and the potential location of PA and EF association for optimal cytosolic delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacillus anthracis: Infection Mechanisms, Vaccination and Immune Response)
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17 pages, 2795 KiB  
Article
Human Exposure to Naturally Occurring Bacillus anthracis in the Kars Region of Eastern Türkiye
by Fatih Buyuk, Hugh Dyson, Thomas R. Laws, Ozgur Celebi, Mehmet Doganay, Mitat Sahin and Les Baillie
Microorganisms 2024, 12(1), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010167 - 14 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1665
Abstract
Environmental contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores poses uncertain threats to human health. We undertook a study to determine whether inhabitants of the anthrax-endemic region of Kars in eastern Türkiye could develop immune responses to anthrax toxins without recognised clinical infection. We measured anti-PA [...] Read more.
Environmental contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores poses uncertain threats to human health. We undertook a study to determine whether inhabitants of the anthrax-endemic region of Kars in eastern Türkiye could develop immune responses to anthrax toxins without recognised clinical infection. We measured anti-PA and anti-LF IgG antibody concentrations by ELISA in serum from 279 volunteers, 105 of whom had previously diagnosed anthrax infection (100 cutaneous, 5 gastrointestinal). Of the 174 without history of infection, 72 had prior contact with anthrax-contaminated material. Individuals were classified according to demographic parameters, daily working environment, and residence type. All villages in this study had recorded previous animal or human anthrax cases. Stepwise regression analyses showed that prior clinical infection correlated strongly with concentrations at the upper end of the ranges observed for both antibodies. For anti-PA, being a butcher and duration of continuous exposure risk correlated with high concentrations, while being a veterinarian or shepherd, time since infection, and town residence correlated with low concentrations. For anti-LF, village residence correlated with high concentrations, while infection limited to fingers or thumbs correlated with low concentrations. Linear discriminant analysis identified antibody concentration profiles associated with known prior infection. Profiles least typical of prior infection were observed in urban dwellers with known previous infection and in veterinarians without history of infection. Four individuals without history of infection (two butchers, two rural dwellers) had profiles suggesting unrecognised prior infection. Healthy humans therefore appear able to tolerate low-level exposure to environmental B. anthracis spores without ill effect, but it remains to be determined whether this exposure is protective. These findings have implications for authorities tasked with reducing the risk posed to human health by spore-contaminated materials and environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacillus anthracis: Infection Mechanisms, Vaccination and Immune Response)
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