Anthrax bio-surveillance of livestock in Arua District, Uganda, 2017-2018

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABThe authors would like to express their gratitude to the local Sub-County chiefs, district veterinary officers, community elders, and kraal leaders for being supportive during data collection. Author JG has received mobility support from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (action Erasmus+ KA107 Mobility Fellowship) and was supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Agency for Management of University and Research Grants co-financed with the European Social Found (grants for the recruitment of new research staff 2018 FI_B 00236). Authors RAO, ME, MA, MFN, MI, EI, MM, LP, BS, and SAA were funded by Livestock Disease Control project II.Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a widespread zoonotic disease with many human cases, especially in developing countries. Even with its global distribution, anthrax is a neglected disease with scarce information about its actual impact on the community level. Due to the ecological dynamics of anthrax transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface, the Sub-Saharan Africa region becomes a high-risk zone for maintaining and acquiring the disease. In this regard, some subregions of Uganda are endemic to anthrax with regular seasonal trends. However, there is scarce data about anthrax outbreaks in Uganda. Here, we confirmed the presence of B. anthracis in several livestock samples after a suspected anthrax outbreak among livestock and humans in Arua District. Additionally, we explored the potential risk factors of anthrax through a survey within the community kraals. We provide evidence that the most affected livestock species during the Arua outbreak were cattle (86%) compared to the rest of the livestock species present in the area. Moreover, the farmers' education level and the presence of people's anthrax cases were the most critical factors determining the disease's knowledge and awareness. Consequently, the lack of understanding of the ecology of anthrax may contribute to the spread of the infection between livestock and humans, and it is critical to reducing the presence and persistence of the B. anthracis spores in the environment. Finally, we discuss the increasingly recognized necessity to strengthen global capacity using a One Health approach to prevent, detect, control, and respond to public threats in Uganda