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Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Plague became less deadly to last longer, study finds
Paris: The bacteria that cause the plague evolved to become less deadly over time, allowing it to continue infecting people in three separate pandemics over more than a thousand years, new research said Thursday. The first pandemic -- the plague of Justinian -- struck in the 500s at the start of the Middle Ages and lasted for around 200 years. The Black Death began in the mid-1300s and would become the deadliest pandemic in human history, killing up to half of the people in Europe, western Asia and Africa, with outbreaks continuing for centuries. The third bubonic plague pandemic broke out in China in the 1850s and continues today, with some cases still being recorded in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. "The plague bacteria have a particular importance in the history of humanity, so it's important to know how these outbreaks spread," said Javier Pizarro-Cerda, a microbiologist at France's Pasteur Institute and co-author of the study published in the journal Science on Thursday. The researchers examined samples of Yersinia pestis , the bacteria that cause the plague, dating back to each pandemic. In all three cases, the genes of each plague bacteria evolved to become less virulent and less deadly over time, according to the study. By causing less severe infections, the bacteria are thought to have extended the length of the pandemics because it gained more opportunities to spread between people. The researchers confirmed this theory by infecting rats with recent plague samples, showing that the disease lasted longer when the virulence decreased. While antibiotics can now effectively fight off the plague, the research could shine a light on how other pandemics might evolve. "This allows us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how pathogens can adapt to different situations," Pizarro-Cerda said. "We finally better understand what the plague is -- and how we can develop measures to defend ourselves," he added.
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Health
- GMA Network
Plague became less deadly to last longer, study finds
PARIS, France - The bacteria that cause the plague evolved to become less deadly over time, allowing it to continue infecting people in three separate pandemics over more than a thousand years, new research said Thursday. The first pandemic -- the plague of Justinian -- struck in the 500s at the start of the Middle Ages and lasted for around 200 years. The Black Death began in the mid-1300s and would become the deadliest pandemic in human history, killing up to half of the people in Europe, western Asia and Africa, with outbreaks continuing for centuries. The third bubonic plague pandemic broke out in China in the 1850s and continues today, with some cases still being recorded in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. "The plague bacteria have a particular importance in the history of humanity, so it's important to know how these outbreaks spread," said Javier Pizarro-Cerda, a microbiologist at France's Pasteur Institute and co-author of the study published in the journal Science on Thursday. The researchers examined samples of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that cause the plague, dating back to each pandemic. In all three cases, the genes of each plague bacteria evolved to become less virulent and less deadly over time, according to the study. By causing less severe infections, the bacteria are thought to have extended the length of the pandemics because it gained more opportunities to spread between people. The researchers confirmed this theory by infecting rats with recent plague samples, showing that the disease lasted longer when the virulence decreased. While antibiotics can now effectively fight off the plague, the research could shine a light on how other pandemics might evolve. "This allows us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how pathogens can adapt to different situations," Pizarro-Cerda said. "We finally better understand what the plague is -- and how we can develop measures to defend ourselves," he added. — Agence France-Presse
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Plague bacteria became less deadly to last longer, study finds
Yersinia pestis bacteria infected people in three separate pandemics over more than a thousand years by becoming less deadly. PHOTO: AFP Plague bacteria became less deadly to last longer, study finds PARIS - The bacteria that caused the plague evolved to become less deadly over time, allowing it to continue infecting people in three separate pandemics over more than a thousand years, new research said on May 29. The first pandemic – the plague of Justinian – struck in the 500s at the start of the Middle Ages and lasted for around 200 years. The Black Death began in the mid-1300s and would become the deadliest pandemic in human history, killing up to half of the people in Europe, western Asia and Africa, with outbreaks continuing for centuries. The third bubonic plague pandemic broke out in China in the 1850s and continues today, with some cases still being recorded in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. 'The plague bacteria have a particular importance in the history of humanity, so it's important to know how these outbreaks spread,' said Dr Javier Pizarro-Cerda, a microbiologist at France's Pasteur Institute and co-author of the study published in the journal Science on May 29. The researchers examined samples of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that caused the plague, dating back to each pandemic. In all three cases, the genes of each plague bacteria evolved to become less virulent and less deadly over time, according to the study. By causing less severe infections, the bacteria are thought to have extended the length of the pandemics because it gained more opportunities to spread between people. The researchers confirmed this theory by infecting rats with recent plague samples, showing that the disease lasted longer when the virulence decreased. Yersinia pestis bacteria are pictured under an electron microscope. PHOTO: AFP While antibiotics can now effectively fight off the plague, the research could shine a light on how other pandemics might evolve. 'This allows us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how pathogens can adapt to different situations,' Dr Pizarro-Cerda said. 'We finally better understand what the plague is – and how we can develop measures to defend ourselves,' he added. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
