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An unusual case of bovine anthrax in the canton of Jura, Switzerland in 2017.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Anthrax caused by Bacillus anthracis is a zoonotic disease mainly affecting herbivores. The last Swiss outbreak was over 20?years ago. We describe a recent anthrax outbreak involving two cows from the same herd. One cow was designated as a peracute clinical case with sudden death and typical lung lesions, while the other cow presented with protracted fever and abortion. CASE PRESENTATION:On April 29th 2017, a 3.5-year-old Montbéliard dairy cow was found dead while out at pasture with haemorrhage from the nose. The veterinarian suspected pneumonia and performed a necropsy on site. Subsequently, a lung and liver sample were sent to the laboratory. Unexpectedly, Bacillus anthracis was isolated, a pathogen not found in Switzerland for decades. Several days later, a second cow from the same farm showed signs of abortion after protracted fever. Since these symptoms are not typical for anthrax, and the bacteria could not be demonstrated in blood samples from this animal, a necropsy was performed under appropriate biosafety measures. Subsequently, Bacillus anthracis could be isolated from the placenta and the sublumbal lymph nodes but not from the blood, liver, spleen and kidney. The outbreak strain (17OD930) was shown to belong to the lineage B.Br.CNEVA, the same as Swiss strains from previous outbreaks in the region. We speculate that the disease came from a temporarily opened cave system that is connected to an old carcass burial site and was flushed by heavy rainfall preceding the outbreak. CONCLUSION:Even in countries like Switzerland, where anthrax is very rare, new cases can occur after unusual weather conditions or ground disturbance. It is important for public officials to be aware of this risk to avoid possible spread.

SUBMITTER: Gobeli Brawand S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6664520 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An unusual case of bovine anthrax in the canton of Jura, Switzerland in 2017.

Gobeli Brawand Stefanie S Kittl Sonja S Dettwiler Martina M Thomann Andreas A Feyer Simon S Cachim José J Theubet Grégoire G Liechti Nicole N Wittwer Matthias M Schürch Nadia N Oberhänsli Simone S Heinimann Andreas A Jores Jörg J

BMC veterinary research 20190729 1

<h4>Background</h4>Anthrax caused by Bacillus anthracis is a zoonotic disease mainly affecting herbivores. The last Swiss outbreak was over 20 years ago. We describe a recent anthrax outbreak involving two cows from the same herd. One cow was designated as a peracute clinical case with sudden death and typical lung lesions, while the other cow presented with protracted fever and abortion.<h4>Case presentation</h4>On April 29th 2017, a 3.5-year-old Montbéliard dairy cow was found dead while out a ...[more]

PMID: 31357988

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Project description:Background. Eucryptodiran turtles from the Late Jurassic (mainly Kimmeridgian) deposits of the Jura Mountains (Switzerland and France) are among the earliest named species traditionally referred to the Plesiochelyidae, Thalassemydidae, and Eurysternidae. As such, they are a reference for the study of Late Jurassic eucryptodires at the European scale. Fifteen species and four genera have been typified based on material from the Late Jurassic of the Jura Mountains. In the past 50 years, diverging taxonomic reassessments have been proposed for these turtles with little agreement in sight. In addition, there has been a shift of focus from shell to cranial anatomy in the past forty years, although most of these species are only represented by shell material. As a result, the taxonomic status of many of these 15 species remains ambiguous, which prevents comprehensive comparison of Late Jurassic turtle assemblages throughout Europe and hinders description of new discoveries, such as the new assemblage recently unearthed in the vicinity of Porrentruy, Switzerland. Methods. An exhaustive reassessment of the available material provides new insights into the comparative anatomy of these turtles. The taxonomic status of each of the 15 species typified based on material from the Late Jurassic of the Jura Mountains is evaluated. New diagnoses and general descriptions are provided for each valid taxon. Results. Six out of the 15 available species names are recognized as valid: Plesiochelys etalloni, Craspedochelys picteti, Craspedochelys jaccardi, Tropidemys langii, Thalassemys hugii, and 'Thalassemys' moseri. The intraspecific variability of the shell of P. etalloni is discussed based on a sample of about 30 relatively complete specimens from Solothurn, Switzerland. New characters are proposed to differentiate P. etalloni, C. picteti, and C. jaccardi, therefore rejecting the previously proposed synonymy of these forms. Based partly on previously undescribed specimens, the plastral morphology of Th. hugii is redescribed. The presence of lateral plastral fontanelles is notably revealed in this species, which calls into question the traditional definitions of the Thalassemydidae and Eurysternidae. Based on these new data, Eurysternum ignoratum is considered a junior synonym of Th. hugii. The Eurysternidae are therefore only represented by Solnhofia parsonsi in the Late Jurassic of the Jura Mountains. Finally, 'Th.' moseri is recognized as a valid species, although a referral to the genus Thalassemys is refuted.

Project description:BackgroundMinute to medium-sized (footprint length (FL) less than 30 cm) tridactyl dinosaur tracks are the most abundant in the Late Jurassic tracksites of Highway A16 (Reuchenette Formation, Kimmeridgian) in the Jura Mountains (NW Switzerland). During excavations, two morphotypes, one gracile and one robust, were identified in the field. Furthermore, two large-sized theropod ichnospecies (Megalosauripus transjuranicus and Jurabrontes curtedulensis) and an ornithopod-like morphotype (Morphotype II) have recently been described at these sites.MethodsThe quality of morphological preservation (preservation grade), the depth of the footprint, the shape variation, and the footprint proportions (FL/footprint width (FW) ratio and mesaxony) along the trackways have been analyzed using 3D models and false-color depth maps in order to determine the exact number of small to medium-sized morphotypes present in the tracksites.ResultsThe study of footprints (n = 93) recovered during the excavations has made it possible to identify and characterize the two morphotypes distinguished in the field. The gracile morphotype is mainly characterized by a high FL/FW ratio, high mesaxony, low divarication angles and clear, sharp claw marks, and phalangeal pads (2-3-4). By contrast, the robust morphotype is characterized by a lower FL/FW ratio, weaker mesaxony, slightly higher divarication angles and clear, sharp claw marks (when preserved), whereas the phalangeal pads are not clearly preserved although they might be present.DiscussionThe analysis does not allow the two morphotypes to be associated within the same morphological continuum. Thus, they cannot be extramorphological variations of similar tracks produced by a single trackmaker. Comparison of the two morphotypes with the larger morphotypes described in the formation (M. transjuranicus, J. curtedulensis, and Morphotype II) and the spatio-temporal relationships of the trackways suggest that the smaller morphotypes cannot reliably be considered as small individuals of any of the larger morphotypes. The morphometric data of some specimens of the robust morphotype (even lower values for the length/width ratio and mesaxony) suggest that more than one ichnotaxon might be represented within the robust morphotype. The features of the gracile morphotype (cf. Kalohipus isp.) are typical of "grallatorid" ichnotaxa with low mesaxony whereas those of the robust morphotype (cf. Therangospodus isp. and Therangospodus? isp.) are reminiscent of Therangospodus pandemicus. This work sheds new light on combining an analysis of variations in footprint morphology through 3D models and false-color depth maps, with the study of possible ontogenetic variations and the identification of small-sized tridactyl ichnotaxa for the description of new dinosaur tracks.

Dataset Information

An unusual case of bovine anthrax in the canton of Jura, Switzerland in 2017.

Publications

An unusual case of bovine anthrax in the canton of Jura, Switzerland in 2017.

Similar Datasets

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