Black Death Bacterium Identified: Genetic Analysis of Medieval Plague Skeletons...

ScienceDaily ^ | Monday, August 29, 2011 | via AlphaGalileo

[SunkenCiv]

full title:

Black Death Bacterium Identified: Genetic Analysis of Medieval Plague Skeletons Shows Presence of Yersinia Pestis Bacteria

[SunkenCiv]

• Black Death 'Was Not Plague' Say Experts
• Medieval Black Death Was Probably Not Bubonic Plague
• Bubonic Plague Traced To Ancient Egypt (Black Death)
• An Empire's Epidemic (Justinian Plague)
• Lost documents shed light on Black Death
• Clues to Black Plague's Fury in 650-Year-Old Skeletons
• Plague Victims Discovered After 1500 Years (Justinian)
• Study of ancient and modern plagues finds common features
• Cause of the big plague epidemic of Middle Ages identified

[SunkenCiv]

Yersinia pestis, direct fluorescent antibody stain (DFA), 200x magnification. (Credit: CDC/Courtesy of Larry Stauffer, Oregon State Public Health Laboratory)

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
This reminds me, I have to pick up some more kleenex. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[gusopol3]

Very interesting

[Publius6961]

Bookmark

[doc1019]

Later

[Malsua]

Above all, there was doubt because the modern plague pathogen spreads much more slowly and is less deadly than the medieval plague

Why is this a mystery? Besides the obvious sanitation and living condition differences, the folks that lived through had a genetic reason for living through it. Those that died genetically are much less represented today than they were back then.

[dog breath]

I am still not sure from reading these articles if the plague might of been a very virulent strain or that genetic resistance in the survivors just increased over time.

[aruanan]

On a related note, did you hear about the plague researcher at the University of Chicago who died from it a couple of years ago?

[familyop]

The prairie dogs all around me have it. ;-)

[blam]

Researcher's Death From Plague Prompts Warning

CDC urges lab workers to wear protective gear after 2009 fatality at Illinois university

[BuffaloJack]

In November and early December 1970, I spent 24 days in a military hospital in Vietnam after contracting bubonic plague from a batch of defective vaccine. When I was released I weighed 65 pounds less that the day I entered. Plague is a very painful hemoghagic disease. It took 10 days for the doctors to identify what I had. None had ever seen a case before.

[combat_boots]

Wow. Just wow.

You need to write up that story.

[OldPossum]

Lost 65 lbs.? How much did you weigh initially?

[Lil Flower]

Thank God they finally figured out what it was!

[Moonman62]

Some historians believe the Black Death was the first major event that led to modern Western civilization, because it greatly increased the value of workers who were able to relocate, demand better conditions, and demand better compensation.

Personally, I believe the first event was the rediscovery of the Justinian Code.

[JoeProBono]

[The_Media_never_lie]

Very interesting........

[QBFimi]

Funny - I thought T.F. (terminal flatulence)was the cause of all those deaths ;o)