TB & Outbreaks Week
Welcome to NewsRx!
Learn more about a six-week, no-risk free trial of TB & Outbreaks Week
We're a pay-per-view site for premium content. If you'd like to purchase this article, it's only $3.00.
Society for General Microbiology
Scientists discover why plague is so lethal
May 20th, 2008
Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology. "The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis needs calcium in order to grow at body temperature. When there is no calcium available, it produces a large amount of an amino acid called aspartic acid," said Professor Brubaker from the University of Chicago, USA. "We found that this is because Y. pestis is missing an important enzyme." Bubonic plague has killed over 200 million people during the course of history and is thus the most devastating acute...
Source: TB & Outbreaks Week (2008-05-20)
|
