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Factors Affecting the Spread and Maintenance of Plague

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Advances in Yersinia Research

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 954))

Abstract

Plague is characterized by its potentially explosive spread during human epidemics and rodent epizootics. Recent research has suggested how this spread is likely to occur and what factors are associated with the onset of plague outbreaks and the continued spread of the disease. Among the apparent drivers of these outbreaks are climatic variables, host and vector densities, percolation thresholds, and the ability of many fleas to transmit efficiently soon after taking an infectious blood meal and before Yersinia pestis biofilm-related blockages appear in their guts. This presentation discusses each of these topics and their likely contribution to the rapid spread of plague to humans and in natural systems.

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  1. Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3150 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    Kenneth L. Gage

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  1. Kenneth L. Gage
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Correspondence to Kenneth L. Gage .

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  1. , Centro de Pesquisa Aggeu Magalhães, Campus da UFPE, Recife, 50670, Brazil

    Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida

  2. , Centro de Pesquisa Aggeu Magalhães, Campus da UFPE, Recife, 50670-420, Brazil

    Nilma Cintra Leal

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Gage, K.L. (2012). Factors Affecting the Spread and Maintenance of Plague. In: de Almeida, A., Leal, N. (eds) Advances in Yersinia Research. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 954. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3561-7_11

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