Dear Colleagues,

Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a severe zoonosis having a great impact on both human and animal health. It is a worldwide zoonosis to which most animals, especially grazing herbivores, are susceptible. In natural conditions, human infections (predominantly cutaneous) usually result from contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products, such as hides or wool. Cases of inhalation anthrax (woolsorter’s disease) have occurred in enclosed factory spaces where large-scale processing of hides and wool took place. The ability of the anthrax spore to produce disease by the respiratory route is not high. Inhaled spores of >5 μm pose no threat because they are cleared from the lung by the mucociliary escalator system.

A key area in anthrax research is that of genetic and phylogenetic analysis. Since Bacillus anthracis survives as a spore for a long time, it has much less genetic variation than many other bacterial species. Based on recent whole-genome-based genetic typing technology, the strains to be newly isolated in the outbreak area can be compared with the previously reported genome data. Thus, strains can be classified by isolated places or hosts, contributing to epidemiological investigations.

An additional area requiring further study is that of differences in susceptibility of animal species. Herbivores are highly sensitive to anthrax and develop symptoms acutely. In comparison, carnivorous animals are rather resistant to anthrax and often do not develop the disease. It is important to clarify the factors that cause such differences at the cellular or molecular levels, both in understanding the pathophysiology of anthrax and from the perspective of epidemic prevention.

In addition, it is still necessary to prepare and upgrade the new methods for treatment and diagnosis in view of the history of the use of the spores as biological weapons.

This Special Issue offers the opportunity to share recent advances in the study of Bacillus anthracis. All reports on anthrax research from a new perspective are welcome and would be referred for peer review.

Dr. Akiko Okutani
Dr. Satoshi Inoue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Bacillus anthracis
• anthrax
• pathogenesis
• epidemiology
• genomics
• phylogeny