Transcript Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis
B. Clark F2013
Modified by DYH
•Bacteria responsible for the Black Death,
which killed over 1/3 of European population
from 1347-1353
•Gram negative, rod shaped coccobacillus
•Unique morphology between cocci and bacilli
•Obligate intracellular pathogen
•Facultative anaerobe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis
•Primary carriers are the Oriental rat flea and
infected rodents
•Produce antiphagocytic slime layer in its path
•Genome size of strain CO92 is 4.65 Mbp and
strain KIM is 4.6 Mbp
•4,198 total ORFs
http://www.rkm.com.au/bacteria/Yersinia-pestis.html
Yersinia pestis
B. Clark F2013
Modified by DYH
•Can produce loose capsule in some cases
•Lacks O-side chain due to disrupted Oanitgen gene cluster
•Called a “rough mutant”
•Infection takes three main forms:
pneumonic, septicemic, & bubonic
plagues
•All pathogenic species contain pCD1
virulence plasmid
•Uses a Type 3 Secretion System to inject
bacterial proteins into host immune cells
•LPS chains mediate antibody resistance
•Expression of yadBC gene is similar to
adhesin function
•Adherence and invasion of epithelial cells
•Proliferates in lymph nodes where is can
avoid destruction by immune system
http://www.ppdictionary.com/bacteria/gnbac/pestis.htm