Scientists have discovered a new antimicrobial-resistant strain of Yersinia pestis, the infamous bacteria that causes the plague, that may transmit from person to person.
Currently, the world is focused on surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. But aside from this, there are many other disease-causing viruses in the world that may result to another outbreak.
Among these pathogens is the Yersinia pestis, the dreaded virus that caused the plague, the devastating outbreak that killed tens of millions of people during the 14th century's famed Black Death. Although plague has been mostly eradicated in the industrialized world, it still kills hundreds of people every year across the globe.
Finding the "New" Strain
Plague is widely regarded as one of the world's oldest and most deadly diseases. The Black Death, a pandemic that killed up to 50 million people in Eurasia and North Africa in the 14th century, was one of its most dreadful "achievements."
Although pneumonic plague outbreaks are now exceedingly rare, scientists believe plague is a reemerging and neglected illness, notably in Madagascar, an East African island that accounts for most annual global cases.
Because there is no vaccination to prevent death from the plague, it must be diagnosed quickly and treated with antibiotics.
An AMR strain of Y. pestis was discovered from a pneumonic plague outbreak in Madagascar in 2013, comprising 22 cases and three fatalities, and was resistant to the antibiotic streptomycin, which is generally the first-line-line treatment for plague in Madagascar.
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