Interactions between Bacillus anthracis and Plants May Promote Anthrax Transmission

Ganz, Holly H.; Turner, Wendy C.; Brodie, Eoin L.; Kusters, Martina; Shi, Ying; Sibanda, Heniritha; Torok, Tamas; Getz, Wayne M.

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002903

Interactions between Bacillus anthracis and Plants May Promote Anthrax Transmission

Journal Article · Thu Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002903· OSTI ID:1511384

Ganz, Holly H. ^[1]; Turner, Wendy C. ^[1]; Brodie, Eoin L. ^[2]; Kusters, Martina ^[3]; Shi, Ying ^[4]; Sibanda, Heniritha ^[5]; Torok, Tamas ^[6]; Getz, Wayne M. ^[7]

Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Ecology Dept. Earth Science Division
Independent researcher, Windhoek (Namibia)
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Statistics
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Katima Mulilo (Namibia). Inland Aquaculture
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Ecology Dept. Earth Science Division
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management; Univ. of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban (South Africa). School of Mathematical Sciences

Environmental reservoirs are essential in the maintenance and transmission of anthrax but are poorly characterized. The anthrax agent, Bacillus anthracis was long considered an obligate pathogen that is dormant and passively transmitted in the environment. However, a growing number of laboratory studies indicate that, like some of its close relatives, B. anthracis has some activity outside of its vertebrate hosts. Here we show in the field that B. anthracis has significant interactions with a grass that could promote anthrax spore transmission to grazing hosts. Using a local, virulent strain of B. anthracis, we performed a field experiment in an enclosure within a grassland savanna. We found that B. anthracis increased the rate of establishment of a native grass (Enneapogon desvauxii) by 50% and that grass seeds exposed to blood reached heights that were 45% taller than controls. Further we detected significant effects of E. desvauxii, B. anthracis, and their interaction on soil bacterial taxa richness and community composition. We did not find any evidence for multiplication or increased longevity of B. anthracis in bulk soil associated with grass compared to controls. Instead interactions between B. anthracis and plants may result in increased host grazing and subsequently increased transmission to hosts.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Inst. of Health (NIH) (United States)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1511384

Journal Information:: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Online), Journal Name: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Online) Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 8; ISSN 1935-2735

Publisher:: Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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