Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 2004, 23 (3), 951-956 Anthrax in Wabessa village in the Dessie Zuria district of Ethiopia G. Shiferaw Department of Microbiology, Kombolcha Regional Veterinary Laboratory, P.O. Box 9, Kombolcha, Ethiopia Submitted for publication: 26 February 2004 Accepted for publication: 7 September 2004 Summary In 2002 an investigation of sudden death in a goat in Wabessa village in the Dessie Zuria district of Ethiopia was undertaken using fresh blood brought to the Kombolcha Regional Veterinary Laboratory. The sample was examined using standard bacteriological techniques and animal pathogenicity tests were also performed. The laboratory investigation revealed Bacillus anthracis as the cause of sudden death. Information gathered from stockowners in the same village revealed other similar recent cases and deaths, both in animals and humans, with farmers clearly describing the clinical signs and necropsy findings of anthrax. The disease occurs annually in this area in May and June, and in the 2002 outbreak mortality rates of 7.7%, 32.7% and 47.1% were observed in cattle, goats and donkeys, respectively. This study indicates that the community of this particular village neither knows of, nor practises, any of the conventional methods for anthrax control. The cutaneous form of the disease in humans and the environmental contamination associated with the practise of opening cadavers are briefly described and the findings are discussed with reference to the epidemiology of anthrax in both Ethiopia and elsewhere. Control strategies are also recommended. Keywords Anthrax – Bacillus anthracis – Ethiopia – Goat – Outbreak. Introduction Ethiopia has a large livestock population and many rural communities depend on animals for food, income and draught power. Disease is one of the major constraints preventing these large livestock resources from being fully exploited. Anthrax is an endemic disease which occurs in May and June every year (‘anthrax season’) in several farming localities of the country, causing disease both in humans and livestock. Anthrax is a contagious disease of herbivores, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis and characterised by fever and sudden death. Cattle, sheep and goats are the most susceptible species and are frequently found dead, which may lead to the diagnosis being confused with lightning strike, snakebite, or acute poisoning. The disease is less acute, although usually fatal, in camels and horses and results in extensive swelling of the neck and ventral part of the body. Pigs and dogs are more resistant to the bacterium, displaying swelling in the throat region or intestinal signs, such as diarrhoea or constipation. Scavenger animals tend to show fewer clinical signs and many birds appear resistant to anthrax, although the disease can be a problem in captive birds, such as ranched ostriches (2). In Ethiopia, although suspected cases of anthrax are reported from several districts, few of these are officially confirmed. This study was therefore undertaken with the objective of examining the impact of the disease in one village in the Dessie Zuria district, by isolating and characterising the causative agent, and by assessing the views and practices of farmers as regards the control and prevention of this zoonotic disease.