RESEARCH STRATEGY
(a) Significance. Yersinia pestis (Yp) is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that is the causative agent of plague. Yp is a Category A agent defined by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) as a pathogen that is high risk to public health and national security. A long term goal of NIAID is to explore the host-pathogen interaction and host response to infection with Yp, and to identify and characterize immune responses after exposure to Yp (1). Yp is transmitted primarily from fleas and rodents to humans via bite, or contact with other infected animals (2). Yp can also be transmitted to humans from infected domesticated animals that have come in contact with rodents and fleas (3). Rates of Yp infected domesticated animals, such as dogs, have been positively correlated with human cases (4). Thousands of human cases are reported each year to the World Health Organization (5), and Yp is currently considered to be a re-emerging pathogen (6). Endemic Yp infection occurs in both rural and urban areas where rodents and humans come into contact. Yp infects and proliferates in the lymph nodes of humans and can reside in monocytes and neutrophils by suppressing or subverting the immune system (7). This can then lead to systemic and fatal infection (7). …show more content…
Antibiotics can effectively treat human Yp infection; however, to be effective, treatment must be prompt after initial onset of disease (9). Therefore, rapid response to Yp infection and preventative measures are important. Vaccines against Yp have had limited efficacy, and there is a limited understanding on the vaccine targets against Yp (9). Currently, there are no vaccines against Yp approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For these reasons, identifying targets to protect against Yp infection is crucial for developing and improving
(a) Significance. Yersinia pestis (Yp) is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that is the causative agent of plague. Yp is a Category A agent defined by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) as a pathogen that is high risk to public health and national security. A long term goal of NIAID is to explore the host-pathogen interaction and host response to infection with Yp, and to identify and characterize immune responses after exposure to Yp (1). Yp is transmitted primarily from fleas and rodents to humans via bite, or contact with other infected animals (2). Yp can also be transmitted to humans from infected domesticated animals that have come in contact with rodents and fleas (3). Rates of Yp infected domesticated animals, such as dogs, have been positively correlated with human cases (4). Thousands of human cases are reported each year to the World Health Organization (5), and Yp is currently considered to be a re-emerging pathogen (6). Endemic Yp infection occurs in both rural and urban areas where rodents and humans come into contact. Yp infects and proliferates in the lymph nodes of humans and can reside in monocytes and neutrophils by suppressing or subverting the immune system (7). This can then lead to systemic and fatal infection (7). …show more content…
Antibiotics can effectively treat human Yp infection; however, to be effective, treatment must be prompt after initial onset of disease (9). Therefore, rapid response to Yp infection and preventative measures are important. Vaccines against Yp have had limited efficacy, and there is a limited understanding on the vaccine targets against Yp (9). Currently, there are no vaccines against Yp approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For these reasons, identifying targets to protect against Yp infection is crucial for developing and improving