Ruifu Yang*
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Steve Atkinson
2.School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Ziqi Chen
Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Yujun Cui
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Zongmin Du
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Yanping Han
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Florent Sebbane
Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
Philip Slavin
Division of History and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LJ, UK
Yajun Song
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
Yanfeng Yan
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
Yarong Wu
Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
Lei Xu
Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Chutian Zhang
College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yun Zhang
Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
B.Joseph Hinnebusch
Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
Nils Chr. Stenseth
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
Vladimir L.Motin*
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
Abstract
Since its first identification in 1894 during the third pandemic in Hong Kong, there has been significant progress of understanding the lifestyle of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that is responsible for plague. Although we now have some understanding of the pathogen’s physiology, genetics, genomics, evolution, gene regulation, pathogenesis and immunity, there are many unknown aspects of the pathogen and its disease development. Here, we focus on some of the knowns and unknowns relating to Y. pestis and plague. We notably focus on some key Y pestis physiological and virulence traits that are important for its mammal-flea-mammal life cycle but also its emergence from the enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Some aspects of the genetic diversity of Y. pestis, the distribution and ecology of plague as well as the medical countermeasures to protect our population are also provided. Lastly, we present some biosafety and biosecurity information related to Y. pestis and plague.
