Data from: Persistent anthrax as a major driver of wildlife mortality in a tropical rainforest

Anthrax is a globally significant animal disease and zoonosis. Despite this, current knowledge of anthrax ecology is largely limited to arid ecosystems, where outbreaks are most commonly reported. We reveal cryptic the dynamics of an anthrax causing agent, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis, in a tropical rainforest with severe consequences for local wildlife communities. Using data and samples collected over three decades we found that rainforest anthrax is a persistent and widespread cause of death for a broad range of mammalian hosts. We predict that this pathogen will accelerate the decline and possibly result in the extirpation of local chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) populations. Our findings illuminate the epidemiology of a cryptic pathogen and have important implications for conservation and public health.

炭疽是一种具有全球重要性的动物疫病与人畜共患病（zoonosis）。尽管如此，当前学界对炭疽生态学的认知仍大多局限于干旱生态系统——这也是炭疽暴发最常被报道的生境。本研究揭示了引发炭疽的病原体——蜡样芽孢杆菌炭疽生物变种（Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis）在热带雨林中的隐秘动态，该动态对当地野生动物群落造成了严重危害。基于三十余年采集的样本与调查数据，我们发现热带雨林炭疽是一类持续且广泛分布的致死性疫病，可感染多种哺乳类宿主。模型预测显示，该病原体会加速当地西非黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes verus）种群的衰退，甚至可能导致其局部灭绝。本研究阐明了一种隐秘病原的流行病学特征，其研究结果对野生动物保护与公共卫生均具有重要意义。