Showing papers on "Plague (disease) published in 2004"

Microevolution and history of the plague bacillus, Yersinia pestis

Abstract: The association of historical plague pandemics with Yersinia pestis remains controversial, partly because the evolutionary history of this largely monomorphic bacterium was unknown. The microevolution of Y. pestis was therefore investigated by three different multilocus molecular methods, targeting genomewide synonymous SNPs, variation in number of tandem repeats, and insertion of IS100 insertion elements. Eight populations were recognized by the three methods, and we propose an evolutionary tree for these populations, rooted on Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The tree invokes microevolution over millennia, during which enzootic pestoides isolates evolved. This initial phase was followed by a binary split 6,500 years ago, which led to populations that are more frequently associated with human disease. These populations do not correspond directly to classical biovars that are based on phenotypic properties. Thus, we recommend that henceforth groupings should be based on molecular signatures. The age of Y. pestis inferred here is compatible with the dates of historical pandemic plague. However, it is premature to infer an association between any modern molecular grouping and a particular pandemic wave that occurred before the 20th century.

The great influenza : the epic story of the deadliest plague in history

Abstract: An in-depth account of the deadly influenza epidemic of 1918, a plague that took the lives of millions of people around the world, examines the causes of the pandemic, its devastating impact on early twentieth-century society, the researchers who risked their lives to confront the disease, and the lasting implications of the crisis and the scientific

Genotyping, Orientalis-like Yersinia pestis, and Plague Pandemics

Abstract: Three pandemics have been attributed to plague in the last 1,500 years. Yersinia pestis caused the third, and its DNA was found in human remains from the second. The Antiqua biovar of Y. pestis may have caused the first pandemic; the other two biovars, Medievalis and Orientalis, may have caused the second and third pandemics, respectively. To test this hypothesis, we designed an original genotyping system based on intergenic spacer sequencing called multiple spacer typing (MST). We found that MST differentiated every biovar in a collection of 36 Y. pestis isolates representative of the three biovars. When MST was applied to dental pulp collected from remains of eight persons who likely died in the first and second pandemics, this system identified original sequences that matched those of Y. pestis Orientalis. These data indicate that Y. pestis caused cases of Justinian plague. The two historical plague pandemics were likely caused by Orientalis-like strains.

Patterns of extinction in prairie dog metapopulations: plague outbreaks follow El Niño events

Abstract: Outbreaks of many vector-borne human diseases are broadly correlated with climatic variation, but evidence of similar fluctuations in disease in natural host populations is rare. Here, we use 21 years of monitoring of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies to demonstrate a link between extinctions of colonies attributed to plague (Yersinia pestis) and climatic fluctuations associated with El Nini Southern Oscillation events that promote the growth of flea vector and rodent host populations. During epizootics, rates of extinction of the largest colonies (>16 ha) were nearly as high (>60%) as for the smallest ones (<3 ha), but only a third of intermediate-sized colonies were extirpated. The probability of extinction was influenced by the size and fate of adjacent colonies, but there was no predictable relationship between extinction probabilities and intercolony distance, indicating that spatial isolation does not reduce the vulnerability of colonies to plague. By causing sporadic extinctions of colonies, plague creates a metapopulation structure that has altered the dynamics of prairie dog colonies as they respond to a century of human persecution and habitat loss.

Yersinia pestis (plague) vaccines.

Abstract: Live attenuated and killed whole cell vaccines against disease caused by Yersinia pestis have been available since the early part of the last century. Although these vaccines indicate the feasibility of protecting against disease, they have a number of shortcomings. The live attenuated vaccine is highly reactogenic and is not licensed for use in humans. The killed whole cell vaccine, also reactogenic, provides poor protection against pneumonic plague and immunisation requires multiple doses of the vaccine. Against this background, a range of candidate vaccines, including rationally attenuated mutants, subunit vaccines and naked DNA vaccines have been described. Of these, an injected subunit vaccine is likely to offer the best near-term solution to the provision of a vaccine that protects against both bubonic and pneumonic plague.

Epidemiologic determinants for modeling pneumonic plague outbreaks.

Abstract: Pneumonic plague poses a potentially increasing risk to humans in plague nonendemic regions either as a consequence of an aerosolized release or through importation of the disease. Pneumonic plague is person-to-person transmissible. We provide a quantitative assessment of transmissibility based on past outbreaks that shows that the average number of secondary cases per primary case (R0) was 1.3 (variance = 3.1), assuming a geometric probability distribution, prior to outbreak control measures. We also show that the latent and infectious periods can be approximated by using lognormal distributions with means (SD) of 4.3 (1.8) and 2.5 (1.2) days. Based on this parameter estimation, we construct a Markov-chain epidemic model to demonstrate the potential impact of delays in implementing outbreak control measures and increasing numbers of index cases on the incidence of cases in simulated outbreaks.

Famine and Pestilence in the Late Roman and Early Byzantine Empire: A Systematic Survey of Subsistence Crises and Epidemics

Abstract: Contents: Preface Introduction: Negotiating with the dead Typology of Crises: The late Roman and early Byzantine empire A quantitative overview Subsistence crises: causes, location, duration and range: Nature-induced crises Human-induced crises Duration, location and range Social response: Market activity Response of authorities Popular reaction Epidemic diseases: Introduction Smallpox Infections of the gastro-intestinal tract Other infectious diseases Mass poisonings The Justinianic plague: The chronology of the plague The epidemiology of the plague Was the Justinianic plague a pandemic of 'true plague'? Social response Results: Mortality Shortage of human resources Conclusion: 'History that stands still?' Catalogue of Epidemics and Famines from 284 to 750 AD: Catalogue Appendices Bibliography Index.

Evolutionary genetics: CCR5 mutation and plague protection.

Abstract: A recent and prevalent mutation in the chemokine receptor CCR5 in humans of northern European ancestry has been proposed to provide protection against bubonic plague1,2. Here we infect both normal and CCR5-deficient mice with the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the cause of the plague epidemics that wiped out one-third of Europeans in the Middle Ages3, and find no difference in either bacterial growth or survival time between the two groups. Unless the pathogenesis of Yersinia infection differs markedly between mice and humans, our results indicate that CCR5 deficiency in people is unlikely to protect against plague.

What Does the Public Want to Know in the Event of a Terrorist Attack Using Plague

Abstract: We used formative research to assess the information needs and information-seeking strategies with general public audience segments in response to a hypothetical attack using plague, and we pretested informational materials about plague. Twelve focus groups were conducted across the country, with 129 individuals being purposively sampled by ethnicity and place of residence. Across groups, participants wanted to understand: the nature of the threat of plague, how to protect themselves from transmission, how to detect exposure and symptoms, how to treat infection, and progress in apprehending perpetrators. Participants reported that they would seek information from both the news media and local authorities. Based on the findings and the challenges posed by a terrorist attack using plague, the authors recommend that message materials answer key questions, provide clear action steps, be clear and easily understood, include sources for credibility, and reflect full government disclosure. A dissemination plan i...

Emerging or re-emerging bacterial zoonotic diseases: Bartonellosis, leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis, plague

Abstract: There are a whole series of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases present in the Northern Hemisphere and the author describes four of them, namely, bartonellosis, leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis and plague. Reasons for the emergence or re-emergence of such diseases are not clear, but factors such as human demographics, economic development and land use, international travel and commerce, and microbial adaptation, are thought to be involved. Control of emerging and re-emerging diseases has become a major challenge for the international community and it is important to disseminate information about diagnosis and control capabilities, particularly to people working in public health.

Pyraperm kills fleas and halts plague among utah prairie dogs

Abstract: Plague is an introduced bacterial disease whose primary vectors are fleas (Siphon- aptera). Utah prairie dogs (Cynomys parvidens) are highly susceptible to plague, and entire colonies usually disappear shortly after plague arrives. Infusion of burrows with Pyraperm (an insecticide- dust) kills fleas and immediately halts the spread of plague within colonies. Thus, insecticide-dusts might play an important role in the conservation of prairie dogs. R ESUMEN La plaga bubonica es una enfermedad bacterial introducida para quien las pulgas

The harvest of freshwater crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) in Turkey

Abstract: Astacus leptodactylus is naturally and widely distributed in lakes, ponds and rivers throughout of Turkey. It has also been stocked in many freshwater systems in Turkey to establish new populations and to restore crayfish stocks devastated by the plague (Aphanomyces astaci) and some other reasons (i.e., farming and culinary purposes). Human consumption of A. leptodactylushas always been very low in Turkey; therefore, it was exported mainly to Europe until 1986. A plague was observed in 1985 in Egirdir, Apolyont, Sapanca and Manyas lakes which included the main harvest areas, and the fishery was lost within 2 years. Consequently, crayfish harvest was banned in all populations to control the plague. Because of the plague, over-fishing and pollution, the harvest of A. leptodactylusin Turkey declined from approximately 5000 (1984) to 200 (1991) tons annually. In 2000s, there has been a gradual increase in the rate of harvest of A. leptodactylusin Turkey, reaching approximately 1600–1900 tons annually, but the plague is still observed in this species at certain localities. The present study reveals that A. leptodactylus in Turkey needs professional support for recovery, because the present harvest of A. leptodactylusis still nearly 20% of the crayfish catch in 1980s.

Plague: the dreadful visitation occupying the human mind for centuries.

Abstract: Plague is one of mankind's greatest scourges, which has swept away millions of people over the centuries. The first available record of the occurrence of this calamity, in humans, is from the Bible, in 1000 bc, in the city of Ashdod. The first definitely identified pandemic originated in Egypt in ad 542 (the Justinian Plague) and is estimated to have caused 100 million deaths. The second one, lasting for three centuries and claiming over 25 million lives appeared in 1334 in China spreading to many spots on the globe. The third pandemic occurred in Europe from the fifteenth to eighteenth century. The current pandemic began around 1860, in the Chinese province Yunnan; it reached Hong Kong in 1894 killing 100 000 individuals. Within 20 years the disease spread from southern Chinese ports throughout the world resulting in more than 10 million deaths. Since the discovery of the causative agent in 1894, there have been remarkable advancements in immunoprophylaxis and chemoprophylaxis. However, the disease is still active in Africa, in Asia and in Americas and has been classified as a currently re-emerging disease. A 'Plague-free World' will probably remain a dream for an indefinite period.

On Our Way: The Final Passage through Life and Death

Abstract: List of Illustrations 1. Here (?) We Are 2. Practicing Death: Some Rituals of Everyday Life 3. Good Death, Bad Death (I): In Other Times and Places 4. Good Death, Bad Death (II): Here and Now 5. Corpsed Persons 6. Abusing and Eating the Dead 7. Too Many Dead: The Plague and Other Mass Deaths 8. Down to Earth and Up in Flames 9. Journey of the Dead 10. Living Through Notes Sources Cited Index

‘An infection of locality’: plague, pythogenesis and the poor in Bombay, c . 1896–1905

Abstract: In September 1896, a virulent plague epidemic broke out in the colonial port city of Bombay. Central to existing interpretations of the epidemic has been the pervasive assumption that colonial policies aimed at suppressing the disease were principally informed by ‘contagionist’ etiological doctrine. However, this article argues that long-standing ‘localist’ etiological theories continued to exercise a critical influence over colonial policies. It thereby highlights the explicit ‘class’ bias that informed the colonial state's anti-plague offensive, which was largely directed at the urban poor.

Yersinia pestis: still a plague in the 21st century

Abstract: Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is an aerobic, non-motile, gram-negative bacillus belonging to the family Enterobacteriacea It is a zoonotic infection transmitted to humans via the bite of a flea Three clinical forms of human plague exist: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic Many important virulence factors associated with this organism are responsible for its extreme pathogenicity and high mortality rates The bubonic form of plague is usually not transmitted human to human but the pneumonic form is--through inhalation of contaminated aerosol droplets The pneumonic plague would be the form most likely implicated in the event of an intentional attack Inhalation of aerosols can cause devastating consequences resulting in many casualties Unless antibiotics are administered within 24 hours of the initial symptoms, death is inevitable Its potential for use as a biological weapon is of major concern to public health officials

Susceptibility to plague of the rodents in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Abstract: R. novegicus has gradually replaced R. rattus in Antananarivo city after its introduction in the 50′s. In 2001, all the rats trapped were R. norvegicus suggesting that this species is nowadays the main reservoir of plague in Antananarivo city. Experimentally, we have demonstrated the natural resistance to Y. pestis of the two populations of rats in Antananarivo (R. norvegicus and R. rattus), as compared to the white laboratory rats and to the rats from non endemic areas. The longitudinal surveillance of the rodents during 4 years, has showed their high seroprevalence for the anti-F1 IgG antibody and a high flea index. The survey has also evidenced Y. pestis in pools of fleas confirming the transmission of the plague bacillus among these rodents. It is likely that many of the rodents get infected but survive and further develop anti-F1 antibodies or remain carriers of the plague bacillus. Indeed rat mortality phenomenon is not observed in the capital, conversely to what is seen in the rural villages or in the harbor of Mahajanga. This natural resistance may explain the maintenance of plague in this city. The absence of epizootic and subsequently the lack of free fleas probably explain the sporadic transmission of plague to human.

Plague and contagionism in eighteenth-century England: the role of Richard Mead.

Abstract: summary: An epidemic of plague in Marseilles in 1720 and the fear that it would spread to England led to the passing of a new quarantine act. First, however, the government sought medical advice from Dr. Richard Mead (1673-1754), which took the form of A Short Discourse Concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Methods to Be Used to Prevent It. This tract was a contribution to the contagion concept of disease at a time when it had not yet become part of the medical mainstream as an explanation for certain epidemic diseases. Critical works appeared almost immediately attacking Mead's ideas. The Short Discourse went through nine editions, the last in 1744. In the last two editions there are further elaborations of his earlier views and references to Newton's Optics and the ether theory. Some of Mead's practical recommendations for dealing with the plague, should it enter the country, were relatively new. References to his plague tract appeared in a number of medical and nonmedical works well beyond his lifetime.

The Great Plague: The Story of London's Most Deadly Year

Abstract: In the winter of 1664-65, a bitter cold descended on London in the days before Christmas. Above the city, an unusually bright comet traced an arc in the sky, exciting much comment and portending "horrible windes and tempests." And in the remote, squalid precinct of St. Giles-in-the-Fields outside the city wall, Goodwoman Phillips was pronounced dead of the plague. Her house was locked up and the phrase "Lord Have Mercy On Us" was painted on the door in red. By the following Christmas, the pathogen that had felled Goodwoman Phillips would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London-almost a third of those who did not flee. This epidemic had a devastating effect on the city's economy and social fabric, as well as on those who lived through it. Yet somehow the city continued to function and the activities of daily life went on. In The Great Plague, historian A. Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C. Moote provide an engrossing and deeply informed account of this cataclysmic plague year. At once sweeping and intimate, their narrative takes readers from the palaces of the city's wealthiest citizens to the slums that housed the vast majority of London's inhabitants to the surrounding countryside with those who fled. The Mootes reveal that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not descend into chaos. Doctors, apothecaries, surgeons, and clergy remained in the city to care for the sick; parish and city officials confronted the crisis with all the legal tools at their disposal; and commerce continued even as businesses shut down. To portray life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals-among them an apothecary serving a poor suburb, the rector of the city's wealthiest parish, a successful silk merchant who was also a city alderman, a country gentleman, and famous diarist Samuel Pepys. Through letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh interpretations of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical, religious, and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources sustaining those who remained. Underscoring the human dimensions of the epidemic, Lloyd and Dorothy Moote dramatically recast the history of the Great Plague and offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants besieged by-and defiantly resisting-unimaginable horror.