Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Eubacteria
Phylum:	Proteobacteria
Class:	Gamma Proteobacteria
Order:	Enterobacteriales
Family:	Enterobacteriaceae
Genus:	Yersinia
Species:	Y. pestis
Binomial name
	Yersinia pestis; (Lehmann & Neumann, 1896); van Loghem 1944

Yersinia pestis is a bacillus (a type of bacteria). It is the bacterium^[1] that causes bubonic plague, septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague.^[2]

These three forms of the plague have killed many people in epidemics throughout history. Historians and scientists believe they caused the Black Death. This pandemic killed one out of every three people in Europe between 1347 and 1353.

Discovery

In 1894 a physician named Alexandre Yersin discovered the Y. pestis bacillus during an epidemic of the plague in Hong Kong.^[3] Yersin worked for the Pasteur Institute at the time.

The bacillus's name was changed several times:

1894-1900: Bacterium pestis
1900-1923: Bacillus pestis
1923-1970: Pasteurella pestis (named to honor Louis Pasteur)

Before 1970, scientists thought the bacillus belonged to the Pasteurella genus of bacteria. In 1970 they reclassified it as its own genus (Yersinia) and named it Yersinia pestis in Alexandre Yersin's honor.^[4]

Scientists have found three varieties of Y. pestis.

The Black Death

See the main article: The Black Death

Historians do not agree about Y. pestis's role in the Black Death. Many believe that Y. pestis was the bacterium that caused the Black Death. However, others say the Black Death spread much faster than Y. pestis could.

Still, DNA from Y. pestis has been found in the teeth of some exhumed Black Death victims.^[5]^[6] For this reason, Y. pestis must have played a role in the epidemic, and it probably did too in other European plague epidemics.

References

↑ Collins FM (1996). Pasteurella, Yersinia, and Francisella. In: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al., eds.) (4th ed.). Univ of Texas Medical Branch. ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
↑ Sherris medical microbiology : an introduction to infectious diseases (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 2004. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9. OCLC 52358530.
↑ Bockemühl J (1994). "[100 years after the discovery of the plague-causing agent--importance and veneration of Alexandre Yersin in Vietnam today]". Immun Infekt. 22 (2): 72–5. PMID 7959865.
↑ "The History of Plague Pt 2. The discoveries of the plague Bacillus and its Vector". Retrieved 31 January 2024.
↑ Drancourt, Michel; Aboudharam, Gérard; Signoli, Michel; Dutour, Olivier; Raoult, Didier (1998-10-13). "Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 95 (21): 12637–12640. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.21.12637. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 22883. PMID 9770538.
↑ Drancourt, Michel; Raoult, Didier (January 2002). "Molecular insights into the history of plague". Microbes and Infection. 4 (1): 105–109. doi:10.1016/S1286-4579(01)01515-5. PMID 11825781.

Other websites

Yersinia pestis Archived 2006-06-29 at the Wayback Machine. Virtual Museum of Bacteria.
Genome information is available from the NIAID PathoSystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) Archived 2014-12-31 at the Wayback Machine

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[Baron-1] Collins FM (1996). Pasteurella, Yersinia, and Francisella. In: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al., eds.) (4th ed.). Univ of Texas Medical Branch. ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.

[Sherris-2] Sherris medical microbiology : an introduction to infectious diseases (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 2004. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9. OCLC 52358530.

[Bockemühl_1994-3] Bockemühl J (1994). "[100 years after the discovery of the plague-causing agent--importance and veneration of Alexandre Yersin in Vietnam today]". Immun Infekt. 22 (2): 72–5. PMID 7959865.

[4] "The History of Plague Pt 2. The discoveries of the plague Bacillus and its Vector". Retrieved 31 January 2024.

[5] Drancourt, Michel; Aboudharam, Gérard; Signoli, Michel; Dutour, Olivier; Raoult, Didier (1998-10-13). "Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 95 (21): 12637–12640. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.21.12637. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 22883. PMID 9770538.

[6] Drancourt, Michel; Raoult, Didier (January 2002). "Molecular insights into the history of plague". Microbes and Infection. 4 (1): 105–109. doi:10.1016/S1286-4579(01)01515-5. PMID 11825781.

[1]