Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes plague in humans and other mammals. It can spread through infected fleas, direct contact, or respiratory droplets.

Flea-borne transmission: Transmission of pathogens by infected fleas, often through bites or regurgitation during feeding. Infected fleas transmit Yersinia pestis between hosts, especially in bubonic plague.
Yersinia pestis evolution: The evolutionary history through which Yersinia pestis emerged from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and diversified. Its emergence explains how a close gut pathogen became a flea-adapted plague bacterium.
Plague diagnosis: The identification of plague using clinical findings and laboratory tests for Yersinia pestis. Rapid confirmation guides treatment and public-health response to suspected infection.
Sylvatic plague: Plague circulating among wild mammals and fleas in natural ecosystems. Wildlife cycles maintain Yersinia pestis independently of sustained human transmission.
Bubonic plague: A plague form marked by painful, swollen lymph nodes called buboes. It commonly develops after infected flea bites carry the bacterium into skin and lymphatic tissue.
Black Death: The devastating plague pandemic that spread across Europe, Asia, and North Africa in the fourteenth century. Yersinia pestis caused the pandemic’s epidemic plague, as ancient DNA evidence confirms.
Streptomycin: An aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat several serious bacterial infections, including plague. It is a long-established effective treatment for plague.
Prairie dog plague: Plague outbreaks in North American prairie dog colonies, often causing extensive mortality. These outbreaks demonstrate the bacterium’s impact on wildlife and its potential spillover to people.
Pneumonic plague: A plague form in which infection involves the lungs and can spread through respiratory droplets. It is the plague form that permits direct person-to-person transmission.
Justinianic Plague: A major plague pandemic that began in the Mediterranean region in the sixth century. Ancient genomes identify Yersinia pestis as its cause.

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