Glanders: A Potential Bioterrorism Weapon Disease

Mahendra Pal^1, and Kirubel Paulos Gutama²

¹Narayan Consultancy on Veterinary Public Health and Microbiology, Anand, India

²Adaba Woreda Livestock and Fishery Resource Development Office, Adaba, Ethiopia

Cite this paper:
Mahendra Pal and Kirubel Paulos Gutama. Glanders: A Potential Bioterrorism Weapon Disease. American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. 2022; 10(3):98-101. doi: 10.12691/ajidm-10-3-2

Abstract

Glanders, also known as farcy, is an infectious bacterial zoonotic disease of solipeds caused by Burkholderia mallei. The only known natural reservoir of B. mallei is horses, donkeys, and mules. It has long been known as an equine and human disease, although it can also afflict felidae, small ruminants, camels, bears, and walruses. Despite the fact glanders that has been eradicated from most of the countries, it has regained its status as re-emerging disease due to recent outbreaks. Glanders is spread mostly by direct or indirect contact with infected horses, donkeys, and mules. Contact with diseased animals, contaminated fomites, tissues, or bacterial cultures can infect humans. Humans are accidental hosts, and disease is mainly caused by occupational exposure. Glanders is divided into three types of disease: nasal, pulmonary, and cutaneous, which can appear alone or in combination. It can be acute in nature, as observed in donkeys, and mules, or chronic in nature, as found in horses. The isolation and identification of B. mallei from clinical samples is the gold standard method for diagnosing glanders. The detection rate of glanders is increased when both serological and molecular testing approaches are used together. The mallein test is frequently used for field diagnosis in animals. Currently, no vaccine is available for humans or animals. Glanders could be used as a bioterrorism weapon. The presence of glanders in the absence of animal interaction, occupational exposure, and/or travel to an endemic location, such as Asia, Africa, or the Middle East, is presumed to be a bioterrorism occurrence. The disease's occurrence also results in international trade limitations. Early identification of disease in sensitive animals, strict quarantine measures, testing and safe destruction of contaminated carcasses, disinfection of infected premises, and raising knowledge about glanders and its zoonotic implications are all part of the prevention and management of this zoonosis.

Keywords:
burkholderia mallei equine glanders re-emerging zoonoses

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