ArticleNature communications2023
Pasteurella sp. associated with fatal septicaemia in six African elephants.
Article in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Scalable assembly of Ascaris mitogenomes from whole-genome data reveals a novel clade.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Proximity to water shapes the distribution of natural elephant mortality in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Genomic insights into the 2020 mass die-off event among African elephants.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Reply to: Genomic insights into the 2020 mass die-off event among African elephants.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Emergence of the zoonotic bacterium Necropsobacter rosorum in nutria Myocastor coypus with implications for wildlife and human health.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Viral metagenomics of Okavango Delta water pans reveal novel insights into wildlife disease potential.iMetaOmics · 2025Article
- Characterization of a Capsule-DeficientMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Physiological and nutritional stress response of African elephants within the lantana-dominated Lower Imenti Forest Reserve in Kenya.Conservation physiology · 2025Article
- Sero-Prevalence of Hemorrhagic Septicaemia in Cattle and Buffalo Population of Indian States Karnataka and Gujarat.Veterinary sciences · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The sudden mortality of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Botswana and Zimbabwe in 2020 provoked considerable public interest and speculation. Poaching and malicious poisoning were excluded early on in the investigation. Other potential causes included environmental intoxication, infectious diseases, and increased habitat stress due to ongoing drought. Here we show evidence of the mortalities in Zimbabwe as fatal septicaemia associated with Bisgaard taxon 45, an unnamed close relative of Pasteurella multocida. We analyse elephant carcasses and environmental samples, and fail to find evidence of cyanobacterial or other intoxication. Post-mortem and histological findings suggest a bacterial septicaemia similar to haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by P. multocida. Biochemical tests and 16S rDNA analysis of six samples and genomic analysis of one sample confirm the presence of Bisgaard taxon 45. The genome sequence contains many of the canonical P. multocida virulence factors associated with a range of human and animal diseases, including the pmHAS gene for hyaluronidase associated with bovine haemorrhagic septicaemia. Our results demonstrate that Bisgaard taxon 45 is associated with a generalised, lethal infection and that African elephants are susceptible to opportunistically pathogenic Pasteurella species. This represents an important conservation concern for elephants in the largest remaining metapopulation of this endangered species.
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