Abstract
Anthrax is a disease caused by the Gram-positive aerobic bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It causes severe disease in mammals including people and is considered an agent of significant bioterrorism concern. Its spores can survive for decades in contaminated soil and recently thawing permafrost, and potential release of B. anthracis spores has been discussed as a potential mechanism for initiating outbreaks around sites of historic anthrax infections. In the circumpolar North, anthrax has largely been limited to more southern regions with the notable exception of wood bison at the southern boundary of the Northwest Territories and reindeer in Northern Russia, specifically Siberia where anthrax has historically been present in reindeer herds, and a recent outbreak in 2016 has created significant concern about the future threat of large-scale outbreaks associated with thawing permafrost. However, other factors such as discontinued vaccinations and increasing herd sizes are also possible explanation for this outbreak.
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Hueffer, K., Dresvyanikova, S., Egorova, I. (2022). Anthrax in the North. In: Tryland, M. (eds) Arctic One Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87853-5_11
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