| Plague |
| Introduction |
Etiologic agent = Yersinia pestis
Yersinia pestis, a Gram (-), facultative anaerobe, bipolar rod, is an organism steeped in history. It was the cause of the Justinian Plague in the 6th century and "The Black Death" in the Middle Ages, during which one-fourth of Europe's population died. Another pandemic of plague killed over 12 million people around the world from 1896-1930. But plague continues to be a disease of importance in some regions of the world today, especially parts of Asia, Africa and South America (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil).
In the U.S., plague foci are located throughout the western states, especially in Colorado, New Mexico (New Mexico has accounted for 50% of the 377 human cases in the U.S. since 1970), Arizona and California. However, cases can appear anywhere in the U.S. when people or animals travel from endemic to other areas. (See the M.M.W.R. [2003] report of two people who were diagnosed with plague in New York City after traveling from New Mexico.)
| Plague topics |
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