Plague and Plague Vaccines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khrystyna Hrynkevych ◽  
Heinz-Josef Schmitt

Plague is a zoonosis caused by the Gram-negative bacillus, Yersinia pestis, a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru are still considered highly endemic for plague; however, the bacterium also exists in some regions in Asia and the USA. First symptoms occur 1 to 7 days after exposure. There are three clinical forms of plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plague. Transmitted as an aerosol, Y. pestis has been developed as a biological weapon. There are adjuvanted whole-cell vaccines which need repeated dosing, and which are highly reactogenic; subunit vaccines are in development.

1995 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 184-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.L. Yule

Plague killed at least a quarter of the population of Europe in 1348.‘ This was the first wave of the epidemic known as ‘The Black Death’ which continued for two years and then recurred sporadically till the late 17th Century. In London in 1603, 22.6% of the population died from plague and in the outbreak known as The Great Plague of London in 1694 there were over 70,000 deaths out of a population of 460,000. Many English villages were completely wiped out at this time. Marseilles suffered severely in 1720. The next serious outbreak was in Canton in China in 1894, the disease spreading to Hong Kong. 80,000 died, the great majority of these being in China. A Scottish doctor played an important part in the management of this epidemic when it reached the British colony, and by chance found himself on the periphery of the controversy about who first discovered Yersinia Pestis, the Gram negative bacillus that causes plague.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (18) ◽  
pp. 2892-2892
Author(s):  
Lori D. Racsa ◽  
Eileen M. Burd

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Ana De Malet ◽  
Sheila Ingerto ◽  
Israel Gañán

Salmonella Newport is a Gram-negative bacillus belonging to the Enterobacteria family and the nontyphi Salmonella (NTS), usually related to gastroenteritis. Main difference between NTS and Salmonella typhi is that the last one evolves to an invasive disease easier than NTS. These can progress to bacteremias in around 5% of cases and secondary focuses can appear occasionally, as in meningitis. An infection of the central nervous system is uncommon, considering its incidence in 0.6–8% of the cases; most of them are described in developing countries and mainly in childhood, especially neonates. Bacterial meningitis by NTS mostly affects immunosuppressed people in Europe. Prognosis is adverse, with a 50% mortality rate, mainly due to complications of infection: hydrocephalus, ventriculitis, abscesses, subdural empyema, or stroke. Choice antibiotic treatments are cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, or ceftazidime. The aim of this paper is to present a case of meningitis caused by Salmonella Newport diagnosed in a five-year-old girl living in a rural area of the province of Ourense (Spain), with favorable evolution and without neurological disorders.


Author(s):  
G. M. Sidorova

The research focuses on the problem of military-political instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo experiencing continued armed conflict for a long time. Dozens of illegal armed groups both Congolese and foreign origin continue to destabilize situation in the eastern part of the country causing humanitarian disasters. Due to governmental weakness, economic backwardness, chronical lack of finance resources, interethnic conflicts, all-round and widely spread corruption of the authorities, the Congolese government at the moment is not able to overcome scores of problems including the problem of security. Assistanceprovided to the DRC by itspartnerssuch as, first of all, the former metropolitan country Belgium, as well as the USA, Great Britain, the Europe Union and China works only in favourof these country-donors. They are attracted by rich Congolese natural resources which the DRC remaining one of the poorest countries in the world cannot turn to advantage to the full extent because of its economic backwardness. In exchange for so-calleddevelopment programmes, expensive strategic raw material (such as coltan, wolfram, casseterit, cooper, gold, niobium, and other) is being extracted and exported from the country, in addition, often on the inequivalent basis. This is taking place for the reason that numerous mines and open-cast mines are being controlled by different illegal armed groups and not by the central government. Therefore, it turns out that in the context of a military-political crisis, for so-called partners it is more beneficial to pursue their own interests. Furthermore, western ideologists arouse "separatism-oriented" theories similar to "balkanization", in other words, a breakdown of this giant country into several independent states. The Congolese are tremulous to this issue, they try to counter such approachs and defend the territorial integrity of the DRC. However, it is not an easy task. The impediment is unsettled relations with neighbouring countries - Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi which for tens of years exploit illegally natural resources of the DRC and try to lay hold of frontier Congolese territories.


Author(s):  
S.J. Peacock

Melioidosis is a serious infection caused by the soil-dwelling Gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is most commonly reported in north-east Thailand and northern Australia, but is increasingly recognized around the world. Infection is predominantly acquired through bacterial inoculation, often related to occupation, and mostly affects adults between the fourth and sixth decade who have risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and renal impairment....


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Sitthi Sukauichai ◽  
Chantana Pattarowas

Melioidosis is a bacterial infection, caused by Gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei, widespread in Southeast Asia and the northern part of Australia, resulting in a high mortality rate in severe infection. However, it has rarely been reported in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. The authors described a case of melioidosis in a neutropenic patient presenting with septic shock after receiving chemotherapy. Blood and urine cultures were positive for Burkholderia pseudomallei, and CT scan showed multiple pulmonary nodules and hepatosplenic abscesses. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics for the infection and with combined modalities for a malignancy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Kobayashi ◽  
Makoto Imai ◽  
Yoshifumi Kawaguchi

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 030006052092986
Author(s):  
Li Chen ◽  
Zhuo Zai Xu ◽  
Yong Tao

This report describes the presence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia endophthalmitis after phacoemulsification in a 66-year-old woman. The patient presented with ocular redness and pain, as well as hypopyon in the anterior chamber and reduction of visual acuity to hand motion. Intraocular fluid examination revealed a lipopolysaccharide level of >2.5, which suggested bacterial endophthalmitis. The patient was promptly treated with intravitreal ceftazidime 2 mg and vancomycin 1 mg, as well as intravenous infusion of cefuroxime 750 mg, all administered simultaneously at 12-hour intervals. She also received topical levofloxacin eyedrops, once per hour. Subsequently, pathology culture confirmed the presence of the Gram-negative bacillus, S. maltophilia. The presence of lipopolysaccharide in intraocular fluid is an important early indicator of bacterial endophthalmitis, which can provide guidance for clinical treatment.


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