title: Anthrax outbreak in a Swedish beef cattle herd--1st case in 27 years: Case report.
abstract: After 27 years with no detected cases, an outbreak of anthrax occurred in a beef cattle herd in the south of Sweden. The outbreak was unusual as it occurred in winter, in animals not exposed to meat-and-bone meal, in a non-endemic country. The affected herd consisted of 90 animals, including calves and young stock. The animals were kept in a barn on deep straw bedding and fed only roughage. Seven animals died during 10 days, with no typical previous clinical signs except fever. The carcasses were reportedly normal in appearance, particularly as regards rigor mortis, bleeding and coagulation of the blood. Subsequently, three more animals died and anthrax was suspected at necropsy and confirmed by culture and PCR on blood samples. The isolated strain was susceptible to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and ampicillin. Subtyping by MLVA showed the strain to cluster with isolates in the A lineage of Bacillus anthracis. Environmental samples from the holding were all negative except for two soil samples taken from a spot where infected carcasses had been kept until they were picked up for transport. The most likely source of the infection was concluded to be contaminated roughage, although this could not be substantiated by laboratory analysis. The suspected feed was mixed with soil and dust and originated from fields where flooding occurred the previous year, followed by a dry summer with a very low water level in the river allowing for the harvesting on soil usually not exposed. In the early 1900s, animal carcasses are said to have been dumped in this river during anthrax outbreaks and it is most likely that some anthrax spores could remain in the area. The case indicates that untypical cases in non-endemic areas may be missed to a larger extent than previously thought. Field tests allowing a preliminary risk assessment of animal carcasses would be helpful for increased sensitivity of detection and prevention of further exposure to the causative agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease control & Epidemiology, National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden. susanna.lewerin@sva.se
authors.forename: Susanna Sternberg
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lewerin
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elvander
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Westermark
authors.forename: Lisbeth Nisu
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Hartzell
authors.forename: Agneta Karlsson
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Norström
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehrs
authors.forename: Rickard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knutsson
authors.forename: Stina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Englund
authors.forename: Ann-Christin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Granberg
authors.forename: Stina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bäckman
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wikström
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sandstedt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents