The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights
The human pathogen <i>Yersinia pestis</i> is responsible for bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. A deeply comprehensive overview of its historical context, bacteriological characteristics, genomic analysis based on ancient DNA (aDNA) and modern strains, and its impact on historica...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/146 |
| _version_ | 1797339615189794816 |
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| author | Antoni Bennasar-Figueras |
| author_facet | Antoni Bennasar-Figueras |
| author_sort | Antoni Bennasar-Figueras |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human pathogen <i>Yersinia pestis</i> is responsible for bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. A deeply comprehensive overview of its historical context, bacteriological characteristics, genomic analysis based on ancient DNA (aDNA) and modern strains, and its impact on historical and actual human populations, is explored. The results from multiple studies have been synthesized to investigate the origins of plague, its transmission, and effects on different populations. Additionally, molecular interactions of <i>Y. pestis</i>, from its evolutionary origins to its adaptation to flea-born transmission, and its impact on human and wild populations are considered. The characteristic combinations of aDNA patterns, which plays a decisive role in the reconstruction and analysis of ancient genomes, are reviewed. Bioinformatics is fundamental in identifying specific <i>Y. pestis</i> lineages, and automated pipelines are among the valuable tools in implementing such studies. Plague, which remains among human history’s most lethal infectious diseases, but also other zoonotic diseases, requires the continuous investigation of plague topics. This can be achieved by improving molecular and genetic screening of animal populations, identifying ecological and social determinants of outbreaks, increasing interdisciplinary collaborations among scientists and public healthcare providers, and continued research into the characterization, diagnosis, and treatment of these diseases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:49:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-705f797d27624ef08bec2c10e4ed4902 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:49:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-705f797d27624ef08bec2c10e4ed49022024-01-29T14:06:36ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-01-0112114610.3390/microorganisms12010146The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern InsightsAntoni Bennasar-Figueras0Microbiologia—Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Campus UIB, Carretera de Valldemossa, Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainThe human pathogen <i>Yersinia pestis</i> is responsible for bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. A deeply comprehensive overview of its historical context, bacteriological characteristics, genomic analysis based on ancient DNA (aDNA) and modern strains, and its impact on historical and actual human populations, is explored. The results from multiple studies have been synthesized to investigate the origins of plague, its transmission, and effects on different populations. Additionally, molecular interactions of <i>Y. pestis</i>, from its evolutionary origins to its adaptation to flea-born transmission, and its impact on human and wild populations are considered. The characteristic combinations of aDNA patterns, which plays a decisive role in the reconstruction and analysis of ancient genomes, are reviewed. Bioinformatics is fundamental in identifying specific <i>Y. pestis</i> lineages, and automated pipelines are among the valuable tools in implementing such studies. Plague, which remains among human history’s most lethal infectious diseases, but also other zoonotic diseases, requires the continuous investigation of plague topics. This can be achieved by improving molecular and genetic screening of animal populations, identifying ecological and social determinants of outbreaks, increasing interdisciplinary collaborations among scientists and public healthcare providers, and continued research into the characterization, diagnosis, and treatment of these diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/146plague<i>Yersinia pestis</i>ancient DNAbioinformatics |
| spellingShingle | Antoni Bennasar-Figueras The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights Microorganisms plague <i>Yersinia pestis</i> ancient DNA bioinformatics |
| title | The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights |
| title_full | The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights |
| title_fullStr | The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights |
| title_short | The Natural and Clinical History of Plague: From the Ancient Pandemics to Modern Insights |
| title_sort | natural and clinical history of plague from the ancient pandemics to modern insights |
| topic | plague <i>Yersinia pestis</i> ancient DNA bioinformatics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/146 |
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