{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T08:43:08Z","timestamp":1790066588988,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,2]],"date-time":"2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743552000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT.<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Between April and November 2023, 27 unexplained human deaths that presented with swelling of the arms, skin sores with black centers, difficulty in breathing, obstructed swallowing, headaches, and other body aches were reported in Kyotera District, Uganda by the Public Health Emergency Operations Center. Subsequently, the death of cattle on farms and the consumption of carcass meat by some residents were also reported. Field response teams collected clinical\/epidemiological data and autopsy samples to determine the cause of deaths. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and target enrichment sequencing conducted on postmortem samples confirmed <jats:italic>Bacillus anthracis<\/jats:italic>, the etiological agent of anthrax disease, as the cause of the deaths. Applying mNGS to autopsy specimens is useful as a retrospective tool for identifying high-consequence pathogens during suspected outbreaks of unknown etiology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.24-0489","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]],"date-time":"2025-01-07T14:51:14Z","timestamp":1736261474000},"page":"835-839","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Identification of Anthrax as the Cause of a Cluster of Unexplained Deaths, Uganda, 2023: The Role of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing and Postmortem Specimens"],"prefix":"10.4269","volume":"112","author":[{"given":"Nicholas","family":"Bbosa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"MRC\/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda;"},{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"},{"name":"Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC), Abbott Park, Illinois;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deogratius","family":"Ssemwanga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MRC\/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda;"},{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sonja L.","family":"Weiss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition (APDC), Abbott Park, Illinois;"},{"name":"Abbott Diagnostics, Abbott Park, Illinois;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sam","family":"Kalungi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Department, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda;"},{"name":"Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anatoli","family":"Mawanda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Department, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, 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Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joshua","family":"Buule","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hamidah Suubi","family":"Namagembe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MRC\/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stella","family":"Nabirye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justine Priscilla","family":"Nassolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Downing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda;"},{"name":"Abbott 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