Scavengers might not play as key a role in spreading anthrax
through wildlife populations as previously assumed, according to findings from
a small study conducted in Etosha National Park in northern Namibia.
Wildlife managers currently spend large amounts of money and
time to control anthrax outbreaks by preventing scavengers from feeding on
infected carcasses.
The effort might be ill spent, according to results
published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology by an international
consortium of researchers led by Steven Bellan, an ecologist at The University
of Texas at Austin.