[Plague outbreaks in the Mediterranean area during the 2nd World War, epidemiology and treatments].
Before the Second World War, the plague was still rife in North Africa but occurred only as sporadic cases or small outbreaks as in Egypt or Morocco. The permanent foci of infected wild rodent were the cause of these rural outbreaks. In 1943 and 1944, plague came back in several Mediterranean towns and ports and was considered as a serious danger for the Allied Forces. These resurgences were related to the World War as well as the overpopulation of the cities, regroupings and population movements, relaxation of prophylactic measures of the plague in sea transport. The Allied Forces medical officers then showed the resistance of Yersinia pestis to penicillin which they had been supplied with recently, the effectiveness of sulphamides but mortality remained high (27%). In parallel, the drastic fight against rodents and fleas (DDT) gave excellent results.
Mafart
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B
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Département de préhistoire, UMR 5198, Paris, France. bmafart@aol.com
Brisou
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P
Bertherat
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E
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000469:parasitology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D019083:Mediterranean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history; D010571:Pest Control; D010930:Plague / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D047789:World War II; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification