{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T02:35:12Z","timestamp":1792118112845,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,25]],"date-time":"2024-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"UK Government Decontamination Service, which is now named Defra (Department for Environment, Food &amp; Rural Affairs) CBRN Emergencies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Environmental contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores poses clear threats to livestock that play key roles in the economies of pastoral communities. Regular monitoring of contaminated sites is particularly important in anthrax-endemic parts of the world, such as Kars province in eastern T\u00fcrkiye, where the Veterinary Microbiology Department of Kafkas University has conducted an anthrax surveillance programme for over 30 years. We reviewed the microbiological results of 232 soil samples collected during 2009\u20132023, from sites known to be contaminated with B. anthracis spores following burial or butchering of infected animal carcasses. Twenty-five contaminated sites in 16 villages were studied. Samples were taken from a total of 61 different positions within these sites and viable spores were detected in 136 (58.6%) of the samples examined. Of the 96 samples from which spores were not recovered, subsequent samples from the same positions proved positive on 21 occasions. Using a standardised sampling plan, it was discovered that samples taken 1\u20132 m on a downward slope from the centre-point of contamination had higher (p &lt; 0.001) spore concentrations than those taken from other positions. Although spore concentrations at some sampling positions varied over time, the overall values remained stable. This finding contrasts with observations in other parts of the world where spore concentrations tend to decline with time and may reflect regional differences in soil composition that permit more prolonged spore persistence. Concentrations of &gt;100 spores\/g soil were found in 10 (66.7%) of the 15 samples taken 10\u201313 years following a contamination event. These results demonstrate the longevity of viable anthrax spores in the soil of agricultural environments following decomposition of infected animal carcasses, and therefore the need for prolonged bacteriological monitoring of contaminated sites. Furthermore, they underline the importance of appropriate decontamination, as burial on its own does not eliminate all spores.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12101944","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,26]],"date-time":"2024-09-26T04:05:46Z","timestamp":1727323546000},"page":"1944","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Soil Sample Analysis of Bacillus anthracis Contaminated Animal Burial Sites"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0106-5677","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mitat","family":"Sahin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars 36300, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Chingiz Aitmatov Campus, Djal, Bishkek 720038, Kyrgyzstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0142-9162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas R.","family":"Laws","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, CBR Division, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hugh","family":"Dyson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, CBR Division, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3478-008X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ozgur","family":"Celebi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars 36100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3922-4901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mehmet","family":"Doganay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Lokman Hekim University, Ankara 06530, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3278-4834","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatih","family":"Buyuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars 36300, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Les","family":"Baillie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Turnbull, P.C.B. 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