Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Puglia and Basilicata, Anthrax Reference Institute, Foggia, Italy.
PLoS One. 2010 Aug 17;5(8):e12219. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012219.
Anthrax is a disease of human beings and animals caused by the encapsulated, spore-forming, Bacillus anthracis. The potential role of insects in the spread of B. anthracis to humans and domestic animals during an anthrax outbreak has been confirmed by many studies. Among insect vectors, the house fly Musca domestica is considered a potential agent for disease transmission. In this study, laboratory-bred specimens of Musca domestica were infected by feeding on anthrax-infected rabbit carcass or anthrax contaminated blood, and the presence of anthrax spores in their spots (faeces and vomitus) was microbiologically monitored. It was also evaluated if the anthrax spores were able to germinate and replicate in the gut content of insects. These results confirmed the role of insects in spreading anthrax infection. This role, although not major, given the huge size of fly populations often associated with anthrax epidemics in domestic animals, cannot be neglected from an epidemiological point of view and suggest that fly control should be considered as part of anthrax control programs.
炭疽是一种由有荚膜、孢子形成的炭疽芽孢杆菌引起的人类和动物疾病。许多研究证实了昆虫在炭疽疫情期间将炭疽芽孢杆菌传播给人类和家畜的潜在作用。在昆虫媒介中，家蝇被认为是疾病传播的潜在媒介。在这项研究中，通过喂食感染炭疽的兔尸或炭疽污染的血液，实验室饲养的家蝇标本被感染，并用微生物学方法监测其粪便和呕吐物中的炭疽孢子。还评估了炭疽孢子是否能够在昆虫的肠道内容物中发芽和复制。这些结果证实了昆虫在传播炭疽感染中的作用。这种作用虽然不大，因为与家畜炭疽疫情相关的蝇类数量巨大，但从流行病学角度来看不容忽视，这表明应将蝇类控制作为炭疽控制计划的一部分。
