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Yersinia pestis
Epidemiology:
- endemic to southwestern U.S.
- reservoir is rodents
- transmission is through the bite of a flea
Pathology:
- etiologic agent of plague
- rhoA serves as a target for the yopT cysteine peptidase from Yersinia pestis & Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
- rhoA is cleaved by yopT protease when the cell is infected by Yersinia; this removes the lipid attachment, & leads to its displacement from plasma membrane & to subsequent cytoskeleton cleavage
Laboratory:
- Yersinia pestis Ab in serum
- Yersinia pestis antigen
- Yersinia pestis identified in isolate
- Yersinia pestis DNA [3]
- Yersinia pestis culture
- non-motile bipolar straining gram negative bacillus (appearance of a closed safety pin)
Management:
- streptomycin or gentamicin
- alternative agents
a) doxycycline
b) fluoroquinolone
Notes:
- because of the lethality of pneumonic plague, the CDC has labeled Yersinia pestis as a categoty A bioterrorism agent [2]
Related
plague
plague vaccine (Yersinia pestis vaccine)
General
Yersinia
Properties
KINGDOM: monera
DIVISION: SCHIZOMYCETES
References
- Mayo Internal Medicine Board Review, 1998-99, Prakash UBS (ed)
Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, 1998, pg 798-99
- Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 15, 16, 18.
American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2009, 2012, 2018.
- Loinc