[The plague].
The word plague evokes associations with old times, but plague actually does still occur all over the world. The survival chances are at the moment much better (antibiotics) than formerly, when half of the patients died; now this figure is 15%. The causal organism is Yersinia pestis, a bacterium in fleas on rodents. This bug is a plausible candidate for attacks by bioterrosists. So, in this time, there is good reason to pay attention to it, as well as to to smallpox and anthrax and their causal organisms.
Arts-epidemioloog Faculteit Civiele Techniek en Geowetenschappen Sectie Gezondheidstechniek TU Delft Postbus 5048 2600 GA Delft. pbol@xs4all.nl
P
P
Bol
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023482:Bioterrorism / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010930:Plague / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000472:pathogenicity
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents