Bj. Hinnebusch, BUBONIC PLAGUE - A MOLECULAR-GENETIC CASE-HISTORY OF THE EMERGENCE OFAN INFECTIOUS-DISEASE, Journal of molecular medicine, 75(9), 1997, pp. 645-652
Citations number
55
Categorie Soggetti
Medical Laboratory Technology","Genetics & Heredity
Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of bubonic plague, is transmitted
primarily by fleas and has been responsible for devastating epidemics
throughout history. Y. pseudotuberculosis is a food-and water-borne p
athogen that causes a much more benign enteric disease in humans, Desp
ite these profoundly different pathogenesis strategies, the two bacter
ia are very closely related phylogenetically. Thus, identifying the sp
ecific genetic differences between them should provide an instructive
case study in the evolution of microbial pathogenicity. Some key patho
genesis-related genes of Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis that have
been described to date are compared in this review. Factors that pote
ntiate plague transmission as well as disease are discussed, since dep
endence on the blood-sucking flea for transmission likely fueled the s
election of virulent Y. pestis strains able to produce a high-density
bacteremia, Retracing the evolutionary steps between these two Yersini
a species may ultimately furnish a historical model for the sudden eme
rgence of new human disease agents.