Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39080521›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2024

Bacillus anthracis in South Africa, 1975-2013: are some lineages vanishing?

Kgaugelo Edward Lekota, Ayesha Hassim, Maphuti Betty Ledwaba, Barbara A Glover, Edgar H Dekker, Louis Ockert van Schalkwyk, Jennifer Rossouw, Wolfgang Beyer, Gilles Vergnaud, Henriette van Heerden

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC genomics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  3. Archival and Newly Isolated HistoricalPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Kgaugelo Edward LekotaFaculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa. 37747959@nwu.ac.za.
Ayesha HassimFaculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
Maphuti Betty LedwabaFaculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
Barbara A GloverFaculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
Edgar H DekkerDepartment of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa.
Louis Ockert van SchalkwykDepartment of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa.
Jennifer RossouwCentre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Wolfgang BeyerInstitute of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
Gilles VergnaudCEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France.
Henriette van HeerdenFaculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The anthrax-causing bacterium Bacillus anthracis comprises the genetic clades A, B, and C. In the northernmost part (Pafuri) of Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, both the common A and rare B strains clades occur. The B clade strains were reported to be dominant in Pafuri before 1991, while A clade strains occurred towards the central parts of KNP. The prevalence of B clade strains is currently much lower as only A clade strains have been isolated from 1992 onwards in KNP. In this study 319 B. anthracis strains were characterized with 31-loci multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA-31). B clade strains from soil (n = 9) and a Tragelaphus strepsiceros carcass (n = 1) were further characterised by whole genome sequencing and compared to publicly available genomes. The KNP strains clustered in the B clade before 1991 into two dominant genotypes. South African strains cluster into a dominant genotype A.Br.005/006 consisting of KNP as well as the other anthrax endemic region, Northern Cape Province (NCP), South Africa. A few A.Br.001/002 strains from both endemic areas were also identified. Subclade A.Br.101 belonging to the A.Br.Aust94 lineage was reported in the NCP. The B-clade strains seems to be vanishing, while outbreaks in South Africa are caused mainly by the A.Br.005/006 genotypes as well as a few minor clades such as A.Br.001/002 and A.Br.101 present in NCP. This work confirmed the existence of the rare and vanishing B-clade strains that group in B.Br.001 branch with KrugerB and A0991 KNP strains.

Indexed as

AnthraxBacillus anthracisPhylogenyGenome, BacterialGenotypeSoil MicrobiologySouth AfricaWhole Genome SequencingBacillus anthracisMulti-loci variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) assay MLVA-31Whole genome sequencing (WGS)Whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (wgSNP)

Identifiers

PMID39080521
PMCPMC11290001

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.