These lecture notes are the fifth in a series from the module biodiversity: exploiters and exploited. This lecture covers everything about flees, rats and the plague from plasmodium level up to humanso,. A great way to start your understanding in this module (or help you get out of the lecture).
L5 – Flees, rats and the plague (Yersinia pestis)
1930s Malaria – cure syphilis in large doses
Keywords:
Enzootic disease cycle (when a disease is constantly in a pop but only affects a few animals at a
time), plague, Enterobacteriaceae, epidemic, slycatic disease cycle (part of a disease cycle that
occurs in wild animals), sylvatic (wild animals that can carry diseases ish), epizootic cycle,
pneumonic, commensal rodent (lives around people)
Lecture:
Basics
o One of two epidemic diseases (other cholera and smallpox excluded in 1981)
o All cases reported to WHO
History
o Evolved 15-20k years ago from Y. pseudotuberculosis
2 plasmids acquired
Pfra = phospholipase D (controls host defense)
pPst = plasminogen activator (promotes collineation in mammals)
o 19th century China
Noticed late by Western world
Possibly started in mid-18th century
3rd pandemic (in British owned Hong Kong & spread to India ect until 20 th
century – 6 mil deaths )
2nd pandemic = black death
Different biovars of Y. pestis caused all 3 pandemics
Pasters group worked out – bacteria
60s = most common in Asia and 90/00s = Africa
o Now
Europe does not have plague anymore (no species of rodent able to be a
carrier)
1995 = First drug resistant strain in Madagascar
3 worldwide known diseases IDed by WHO: typhoid, plague and smallpox
Basic info of Yersinia pestis
o Most animals can get it (resistance can be present so low disease content)
Enzootic plague cycle = carrier to disease
o No resistance rats (die quickly but amplifying hosts)
Rattus rattus – black/ship rat
Rattus novegicus – brown rat
o Plague zoonosis
Plague = disease of rats that man participates
Flees = vector
Pneumonic plague = transmit person to person
Characteristics of the bacteria
o Non motile, non-spore forming
o Coccobacillus
o Gv -, gut bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae)
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