Pneumonic Plague & Terrorists Attacks

[Guest guest]

Another Terrorist's Attack Possibility

Saturday | October 13, 2001

Plague's gene code is cracked

New understanding of bacterium may help explain its deadliness

10/08/2001

By ALEXANDRA WITZE / The Dallas Morning News

Related content• En español One of humanity's greatest scourges has revealed its deadly secrets. Biologists have decoded the genetic makeup of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. On the surface, the rod-shaped bacterium looks simple. But studies of its DNA reveal a crazy quilt of 4.6 billion pairs of chemicals, stitched and restitched together over time.

The genetic flexibility of Y. pestis may help explain its deadly nature – especially how the plague, known in some historical periods as the Black Death, managed to kill 200 million people over the course of history.

The research may also help scientists develop better drugs to fight plague, which has long been considered a possible biological warfare agent. Antibiotics work if given soon enough after infection, but there is no effective vaccine available to prevent plague in the first place.

Scientists hope that details of the bacterium's genetic makeup, or genome, will suggest new ways to diminish the threat of plague. Up to 3,000 people worldwide still die of the disease every year.

"Having the genome sequence means you have every possible vaccine target or drug target," says team leader n Parkhill of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England. "It's a new beginning for research on the disease."

The genome, which was described last week in the journal Nature, is unlike that of other disease-causing organisms.

In just a few thousand years of evolution, the genetic makeup of Y. pestis appears to have undergone several dramatic changes. Other disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli or salmonella, have remained mostly the same after 100 million years of evolution, says Dr. Parkhill.

"Finding a related organism that can flip around sections of its genome is actually quite surprising," he says.

The genes of Y. pestis are a patchwork of missing and repeating DNA chunks. Many of its genes appear to have been lifted from viruses, as well as from other bacteria.

The plague bacterium was born between 1,500 and 20,000 years ago from the bacterium Y. pseudotuberculosis. The two bacteria are genetically quite similar but drastically different in the diseases they cause. Y. pseudotuberculosis, which is present in animals, soil, and water on every continent, produces only a minor gastrointestinal illness in humans.

Emilio , a biologist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, leads the team that is decoding the genome for Y. pseudotuberculosis. When that research is finished, in the next six months to a year, scientists hope to compare the two genomes side by side for clues to what makes Y. pestis so nasty.

Already, the researchers have found that Y. pestis contains two major genetic elements not found in its cousin organism, which may help it better survive in fleas. Comparatively, Y. pestis is also missing other chunks of genes, whose absence may render it more malignant in humans.

"Whatever change there is, in going from one [bacterium] to the other, might explain why this organism is suddenly so virulent," says Dr. .

Something definitely happened to Y. pestis in its recent history, says n Wren of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "It's gone from an organism that gives you a mild tummy ache to one that's devastating and has shaped Western civilization," he says.

Three waves of plague have struck humanity, each caused by a different strain of Y. pestis. The so-called ian plague began in Egypt and swept across Europe in the sixth, seventh and eighth centuries. The episode known as the Black Death killed 20 million to 30 million people – one-third of Europe's population – in the mid-14th century. Modern plague has killed more than 12 million people in China and India alone since it arose in 1855.

The recently studied Y. pestis strain came from a Colorado veterinarian who died in 1992 after being sneezed on by a plague-infected cat he was trying to rescue from under a house.

Plague can strike in several forms; each is caused by Y. pestis but differs in its symptoms depending on how it was contracted. Bubonic plague, characterized by "buboes," or swollen lymph nodes, is usually transferred to humans by the bite of an infected flea. Pneumonic plague, characterized by fever, chills, and breathing difficulty, is caught by inhaling aerosolized droplets carrying the bacterium.

Experts say Y. pestis is a potential bioweapon because terrorists theoretically could spray aerosolized bacteria over a city, triggering cases of pneumonic plague. The disease, in that form, is usually fatal unless antibiotics are given within 24 hours after infection. (Bubonic plague is less deadly, but even so, 1 in 7 of all plague cases in the United States are fatal.)

Biologists have already deciphered the genomes of other disease-causing organisms, including those that cause meningitis and cholera. So far, nobody has developed a vaccine directly from that information, but it's only a matter of time, scientists say.

"People are still learning how to use genomes to the best advantage, but they are learning fast and things are changing fast," says Keim, a biologist at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Dr. Keim uses DNA "fingerprinting" techniques, as would be used in a court case to identify a suspect, to study bacteria that could be used as biological weapons. By examining very specific areas of the genome, he can identify slightly different versions of the strains of plague. That information, in turn, could help pinpoint the source of any suspected bioterrorism bug.

Meanwhile, other scientists are working on ways to render the bacterium harmless once it gets inside humans. ston, a molecular biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, develops "genetic vaccines" that aim to disarm a specific disease-causing gene in an organism. Knowing the genome of plague, Dr. ston says, will help him better identify which genes to work on.

"It reduces the complexity of the search about twentyfold," he says.

Someday, such studies – which are conducted in animals – may help in developing a better human vaccine.

The plague vaccine that was licensed for use in the United States was discontinued by its manufacturers in 1999 because of side effects and questions about its potency. It was never available to the public, only to the military and laboratory workers who might be exposed to the plague.

It also worked only for the bubonic plague – not the pneumonic form that is a more likely outcome of a bioterrorist attack.

[Guest guest]

Today, they found a 7-month-old -baby testing positive for anthrax, after

visiting his father's offices at ABC Network. Should we all be concerned

about this child, or just ignore the matter, and push it aside?

MM / NSIF

----- Original Message -----

From: <cjheer@...>

< >

Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 6:13 AM

Subject: Re: Pneumonic Plague & Terrorists Attacks

Good grief I realize this information may be good and maybe some

people are really interested in it, however isn't it somewhat

ridiculous for us to get all worked up over these things? We have to

live our lives and go on and we cannot become paranoid. I feel like

there is enough of this stuff on the news and personally don't need

to read it here, am I out of line?

TIRED OF IT ALL!

In @y..., " MARTHA-NSIF " <MAM-NSIF@P...> wrote:

> Another Terrorist's Attack Possibility

>

> Saturday | October 13, 2001

>

>

> Plague's gene code is cracked

> New understanding of bacterium may help explain its

deadliness

>

> 10/08/2001

>

> By ALEXANDRA WITZE / The Dallas Morning News

>

> Related content

> . En español

> One of humanity's greatest scourges has revealed its deadly

secrets. Biologists have decoded the genetic makeup of Yersinia

pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.

>

> On the surface, the rod-shaped bacterium looks simple. But

studies of its DNA reveal a crazy quilt of 4.6 billion pairs of

chemicals, stitched and restitched together over time.

>

> The genetic flexibility of Y. pestis may help explain its

deadly nature - especially how the plague, known in some historical

periods as the Black Death, managed to kill 200 million people over

the course of history.

>

> The research may also help scientists develop better drugs to

fight plague, which has long been considered a possible biological

warfare agent. Antibiotics work if given soon enough after infection,

but there is no effective vaccine available to prevent plague in the

first place.

>

> Scientists hope that details of the bacterium's genetic

makeup, or genome, will suggest new ways to diminish the threat of

plague. Up to 3,000 people worldwide still die of the disease every

year.

>

> " Having the genome sequence means you have every possible

vaccine target or drug target, " says team leader n Parkhill of

the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England. " It's a new beginning for

research on the disease. "

>

> The genome, which was described last week in the journal

Nature, is unlike that of other disease-causing organisms.

>

> In just a few thousand years of evolution, the genetic makeup

of Y. pestis appears to have undergone several dramatic changes.

Other disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli or salmonella, have

remained mostly the same after 100 million years of evolution, says

Dr. Parkhill.

>

> " Finding a related organism that can flip around sections of

its genome is actually quite surprising, " he says.

>

> The genes of Y. pestis are a patchwork of missing and

repeating DNA chunks. Many of its genes appear to have been lifted

from viruses, as well as from other bacteria.

>

> The plague bacterium was born between 1,500 and 20,000 years

ago from the bacterium Y. pseudotuberculosis. The two bacteria are

genetically quite similar but drastically different in the diseases

they cause. Y. pseudotuberculosis, which is present in animals, soil,

and water on every continent, produces only a minor gastrointestinal

illness in humans.

>

> Emilio , a biologist at Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratory in California, leads the team that is decoding the genome

for Y. pseudotuberculosis. When that research is finished, in the

next six months to a year, scientists hope to compare the two genomes

side by side for clues to what makes Y. pestis so nasty.

>

> Already, the researchers have found that Y. pestis contains

two major genetic elements not found in its cousin organism, which

may help it better survive in fleas. Comparatively, Y. pestis is also

missing other chunks of genes, whose absence may render it more

malignant in humans.

>

> " Whatever change there is, in going from one [bacterium] to

the other, might explain why this organism is suddenly so virulent, "

says Dr. .

>

> Something definitely happened to Y. pestis in its recent

history, says n Wren of the London School of Hygiene and

Tropical Medicine. " It's gone from an organism that gives you a mild

tummy ache to one that's devastating and has shaped Western

civilization, " he says.

>

> Three waves of plague have struck humanity, each caused by a

different strain of Y. pestis. The so-called ian plague began

in Egypt and swept across Europe in the sixth, seventh and eighth

centuries. The episode known as the Black Death killed 20 million to

30 million people - one-third of Europe's population - in the mid-

14th century. Modern plague has killed more than 12 million people in

China and India alone since it arose in 1855.

>

> The recently studied Y. pestis strain came from a Colorado

veterinarian who died in 1992 after being sneezed on by a plague-

infected cat he was trying to rescue from under a house.

>

> Plague can strike in several forms; each is caused by Y.

pestis but differs in its symptoms depending on how it was

contracted. Bubonic plague, characterized by " buboes, " or swollen

lymph nodes, is usually transferred to humans by the bite of an

infected flea. Pneumonic plague, characterized by fever, chills, and

breathing difficulty, is caught by inhaling aerosolized droplets

carrying the bacterium.

>

> Experts say Y. pestis is a potential bioweapon because

terrorists theoretically could spray aerosolized bacteria over a

city, triggering cases of pneumonic plague. The disease, in that

form, is usually fatal unless antibiotics are given within 24 hours

after infection. (Bubonic plague is less deadly, but even so, 1 in 7

of all plague cases in the United States are fatal.)

>

> Biologists have already deciphered the genomes of other

disease-causing organisms, including those that cause meningitis and

cholera. So far, nobody has developed a vaccine directly from that

information, but it's only a matter of time, scientists say.

>

> " People are still learning how to use genomes to the best

advantage, but they are learning fast and things are changing fast, "

says Keim, a biologist at Northern Arizona University in

Flagstaff.

>

> Dr. Keim uses DNA " fingerprinting " techniques, as would be

used in a court case to identify a suspect, to study bacteria that

could be used as biological weapons. By examining very specific areas

of the genome, he can identify slightly different versions of the

strains of plague. That information, in turn, could help pinpoint the

source of any suspected bioterrorism bug.

>

> Meanwhile, other scientists are working on ways to render the

bacterium harmless once it gets inside humans. ston, a

molecular biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical

Center at Dallas, develops " genetic vaccines " that aim to disarm a

specific disease-causing gene in an organism. Knowing the genome of

plague, Dr. ston says, will help him better identify which genes

to work on.

>

> " It reduces the complexity of the search about twentyfold, "

he says.

>

> Someday, such studies - which are conducted in animals - may

help in developing a better human vaccine.

>

> The plague vaccine that was licensed for use in the United

States was discontinued by its manufacturers in 1999 because of side

effects and questions about its potency. It was never available to

the public, only to the military and laboratory workers who might be

exposed to the plague.

>

> It also worked only for the bubonic plague - not the

pneumonic form that is a more likely outcome of a bioterrorist attack.

[Guest guest]

Good grief I realize this information may be good and maybe some

people are really interested in it, however isn't it somewhat

ridiculous for us to get all worked up over these things? We have to

live our lives and go on and we cannot become paranoid. I feel like

there is enough of this stuff on the news and personally don't need

to read it here, am I out of line?

TIRED OF IT ALL!

In @y..., " MARTHA-NSIF " <MAM-NSIF@P...> wrote:

> Another Terrorist's Attack Possibility

>

> Saturday | October 13, 2001

>

>

> Plague's gene code is cracked

> New understanding of bacterium may help explain its

deadliness

>

> 10/08/2001

>

> By ALEXANDRA WITZE / The Dallas Morning News

>

> Related content

> . En español

> One of humanity's greatest scourges has revealed its deadly

secrets. Biologists have decoded the genetic makeup of Yersinia

pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.

>

> On the surface, the rod-shaped bacterium looks simple. But

studies of its DNA reveal a crazy quilt of 4.6 billion pairs of

chemicals, stitched and restitched together over time.

>

> The genetic flexibility of Y. pestis may help explain its

deadly nature - especially how the plague, known in some historical

periods as the Black Death, managed to kill 200 million people over

the course of history.

>

> The research may also help scientists develop better drugs to

fight plague, which has long been considered a possible biological

warfare agent. Antibiotics work if given soon enough after infection,

but there is no effective vaccine available to prevent plague in the

first place.

>

> Scientists hope that details of the bacterium's genetic

makeup, or genome, will suggest new ways to diminish the threat of

plague. Up to 3,000 people worldwide still die of the disease every

year.

>

> " Having the genome sequence means you have every possible

vaccine target or drug target, " says team leader n Parkhill of

the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England. " It's a new beginning for

research on the disease. "

>

> The genome, which was described last week in the journal

Nature, is unlike that of other disease-causing organisms.

>

> In just a few thousand years of evolution, the genetic makeup

of Y. pestis appears to have undergone several dramatic changes.

Other disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli or salmonella, have

remained mostly the same after 100 million years of evolution, says

Dr. Parkhill.

>

> " Finding a related organism that can flip around sections of

its genome is actually quite surprising, " he says.

>

> The genes of Y. pestis are a patchwork of missing and

repeating DNA chunks. Many of its genes appear to have been lifted

from viruses, as well as from other bacteria.

>

> The plague bacterium was born between 1,500 and 20,000 years

ago from the bacterium Y. pseudotuberculosis. The two bacteria are

genetically quite similar but drastically different in the diseases

they cause. Y. pseudotuberculosis, which is present in animals, soil,

and water on every continent, produces only a minor gastrointestinal

illness in humans.

>

> Emilio , a biologist at Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratory in California, leads the team that is decoding the genome

for Y. pseudotuberculosis. When that research is finished, in the

next six months to a year, scientists hope to compare the two genomes

side by side for clues to what makes Y. pestis so nasty.

>

> Already, the researchers have found that Y. pestis contains

two major genetic elements not found in its cousin organism, which

may help it better survive in fleas. Comparatively, Y. pestis is also

missing other chunks of genes, whose absence may render it more

malignant in humans.

>

> " Whatever change there is, in going from one [bacterium] to

the other, might explain why this organism is suddenly so virulent, "

says Dr. .

>

> Something definitely happened to Y. pestis in its recent

history, says n Wren of the London School of Hygiene and

Tropical Medicine. " It's gone from an organism that gives you a mild

tummy ache to one that's devastating and has shaped Western

civilization, " he says.

>

> Three waves of plague have struck humanity, each caused by a

different strain of Y. pestis. The so-called ian plague began

in Egypt and swept across Europe in the sixth, seventh and eighth

centuries. The episode known as the Black Death killed 20 million to

30 million people - one-third of Europe's population - in the mid-

14th century. Modern plague has killed more than 12 million people in

China and India alone since it arose in 1855.

>

> The recently studied Y. pestis strain came from a Colorado

veterinarian who died in 1992 after being sneezed on by a plague-

infected cat he was trying to rescue from under a house.

>

> Plague can strike in several forms; each is caused by Y.

pestis but differs in its symptoms depending on how it was

contracted. Bubonic plague, characterized by " buboes, " or swollen

lymph nodes, is usually transferred to humans by the bite of an

infected flea. Pneumonic plague, characterized by fever, chills, and

breathing difficulty, is caught by inhaling aerosolized droplets

carrying the bacterium.

>

> Experts say Y. pestis is a potential bioweapon because

terrorists theoretically could spray aerosolized bacteria over a

city, triggering cases of pneumonic plague. The disease, in that

form, is usually fatal unless antibiotics are given within 24 hours

after infection. (Bubonic plague is less deadly, but even so, 1 in 7

of all plague cases in the United States are fatal.)

>

> Biologists have already deciphered the genomes of other

disease-causing organisms, including those that cause meningitis and

cholera. So far, nobody has developed a vaccine directly from that

information, but it's only a matter of time, scientists say.

>

> " People are still learning how to use genomes to the best

advantage, but they are learning fast and things are changing fast, "

says Keim, a biologist at Northern Arizona University in

Flagstaff.

>

> Dr. Keim uses DNA " fingerprinting " techniques, as would be

used in a court case to identify a suspect, to study bacteria that

could be used as biological weapons. By examining very specific areas

of the genome, he can identify slightly different versions of the

strains of plague. That information, in turn, could help pinpoint the

source of any suspected bioterrorism bug.

>

> Meanwhile, other scientists are working on ways to render the

bacterium harmless once it gets inside humans. ston, a

molecular biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical

Center at Dallas, develops " genetic vaccines " that aim to disarm a

specific disease-causing gene in an organism. Knowing the genome of

plague, Dr. ston says, will help him better identify which genes

to work on.

>

> " It reduces the complexity of the search about twentyfold, "

he says.

>

> Someday, such studies - which are conducted in animals - may

help in developing a better human vaccine.

>

> The plague vaccine that was licensed for use in the United

States was discontinued by its manufacturers in 1999 because of side

effects and questions about its potency. It was never available to

the public, only to the military and laboratory workers who might be

exposed to the plague.

>

> It also worked only for the bubonic plague - not the

pneumonic form that is a more likely outcome of a bioterrorist attack.

[Guest guest]

Dear Martha please do not get angry at me, I cannot stress more that

my post was not intended to make any one upset or angry, I am only

saying that I do not think it is healthy for anyone with an illness

or even without an illness to obscess too much on the state of the

world these days, there isn't much we can do about it is there? I am

not cold or mean, I am being realistic, I have had so many sleepless

nights after watching the news and it is so upsetting to just

constantly listen to this stuff, I never said we should not be

concerned I just said that when I come to this suport group I don't

want to be overloaded with more and more news stories, I am getting

so much of that on the tv as it is.

I don't think it is a good idea all the press coverage as it leads to

many copycats who think it is fun to send white powder to people or

put it on airplaines, this is happening all over the place and yet

half the time the powder is nothing but flour, so I think all the

hype is setting off allot of crazies in the world.

Of course this is a trying time, but if you are religious as I am you

know that the end of the world is probably coming soon and that those

who are not followers of christ will persish. I am not going to sing

my religious praises on this group, because I don't think it is

appropriate, but I also don't think sending the country into a pancik

is appropriate or that it is going to do any good either, so just

calm yourself down and take a deep breath.

I feel very bad for this child you are talking about, and for anyone

who is exposed to this stuff, and I will not deny that I am worried

about it, I have family in SF and even my daughter is there right now

and my husband travels in his business so yes I am worried, but I

pray and believe in god, and Jesus Christ and the world needs to do

the same.

God bless, HUGS

In @y..., " MARTHA-NSIF " <MAM-NSIF@P...> wrote:

> Today, they found a 7-month-old -baby testing positive for anthrax,

after

> visiting his father's offices at ABC Network. Should we all be

concerned

> about this child, or just ignore the matter, and push it aside?

>

> MM / NSIF

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: <cjheer@i...>

> < @y...>

> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 6:13 AM

> Subject: Re: Pneumonic Plague & Terrorists Attacks

>

>

> Good grief I realize this information may be good and maybe some

> people are really interested in it, however isn't it somewhat

> ridiculous for us to get all worked up over these things? We have to

> live our lives and go on and we cannot become paranoid. I feel like

> there is enough of this stuff on the news and personally don't need

> to read it here, am I out of line?

>

>

> TIRED OF IT ALL!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> In @y..., " MARTHA-NSIF " <MAM-NSIF@P...> wrote:

> > Another Terrorist's Attack Possibility

> >

> > Saturday | October 13, 2001

> >

> >

> > Plague's gene code is cracked

> > New understanding of bacterium may help explain its

> deadliness

> >

> > 10/08/2001

> >

> > By ALEXANDRA WITZE / The Dallas Morning News

> >

> > Related content

> > . En español

> > One of humanity's greatest scourges has revealed its deadly

> secrets. Biologists have decoded the genetic makeup of Yersinia

> pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.

> >

> > On the surface, the rod-shaped bacterium looks simple. But

> studies of its DNA reveal a crazy quilt of 4.6 billion pairs of

> chemicals, stitched and restitched together over time.

> >

> > The genetic flexibility of Y. pestis may help explain its

> deadly nature - especially how the plague, known in some historical

> periods as the Black Death, managed to kill 200 million people over

> the course of history.

> >

> > The research may also help scientists develop better drugs

to

> fight plague, which has long been considered a possible biological

> warfare agent. Antibiotics work if given soon enough after

infection,

> but there is no effective vaccine available to prevent plague in the

> first place.

> >

> > Scientists hope that details of the bacterium's genetic

> makeup, or genome, will suggest new ways to diminish the threat of

> plague. Up to 3,000 people worldwide still die of the disease every

> year.

> >

> > " Having the genome sequence means you have every possible

> vaccine target or drug target, " says team leader n Parkhill of

> the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England. " It's a new beginning for

> research on the disease. "

> >

> > The genome, which was described last week in the journal

> Nature, is unlike that of other disease-causing organisms.

> >

> > In just a few thousand years of evolution, the genetic

makeup

> of Y. pestis appears to have undergone several dramatic changes.

> Other disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli or salmonella, have

> remained mostly the same after 100 million years of evolution, says

> Dr. Parkhill.

> >

> > " Finding a related organism that can flip around sections of

> its genome is actually quite surprising, " he says.

> >

> > The genes of Y. pestis are a patchwork of missing and

> repeating DNA chunks. Many of its genes appear to have been lifted

> from viruses, as well as from other bacteria.

> >

> > The plague bacterium was born between 1,500 and 20,000 years

> ago from the bacterium Y. pseudotuberculosis. The two bacteria are

> genetically quite similar but drastically different in the diseases

> they cause. Y. pseudotuberculosis, which is present in animals,

soil,

> and water on every continent, produces only a minor gastrointestinal

> illness in humans.

> >

> > Emilio , a biologist at Lawrence Livermore National

> Laboratory in California, leads the team that is decoding the genome

> for Y. pseudotuberculosis. When that research is finished, in the

> next six months to a year, scientists hope to compare the two

genomes

> side by side for clues to what makes Y. pestis so nasty.

> >

> > Already, the researchers have found that Y. pestis contains

> two major genetic elements not found in its cousin organism, which

> may help it better survive in fleas. Comparatively, Y. pestis is

also

> missing other chunks of genes, whose absence may render it more

> malignant in humans.

> >

> > " Whatever change there is, in going from one [bacterium] to

> the other, might explain why this organism is suddenly so virulent, "

> says Dr. .

> >

> > Something definitely happened to Y. pestis in its recent

> history, says n Wren of the London School of Hygiene and

> Tropical Medicine. " It's gone from an organism that gives you a mild

> tummy ache to one that's devastating and has shaped Western

> civilization, " he says.

> >

> > Three waves of plague have struck humanity, each caused by a

> different strain of Y. pestis. The so-called ian plague began

> in Egypt and swept across Europe in the sixth, seventh and eighth

> centuries. The episode known as the Black Death killed 20 million to

> 30 million people - one-third of Europe's population - in the mid-

> 14th century. Modern plague has killed more than 12 million people

in

> China and India alone since it arose in 1855.

> >

> > The recently studied Y. pestis strain came from a Colorado

> veterinarian who died in 1992 after being sneezed on by a plague-

> infected cat he was trying to rescue from under a house.

> >

> > Plague can strike in several forms; each is caused by Y.

> pestis but differs in its symptoms depending on how it was

> contracted. Bubonic plague, characterized by " buboes, " or swollen

> lymph nodes, is usually transferred to humans by the bite of an

> infected flea. Pneumonic plague, characterized by fever, chills, and

> breathing difficulty, is caught by inhaling aerosolized droplets

> carrying the bacterium.

> >

> > Experts say Y. pestis is a potential bioweapon because

> terrorists theoretically could spray aerosolized bacteria over a

> city, triggering cases of pneumonic plague. The disease, in that

> form, is usually fatal unless antibiotics are given within 24 hours

> after infection. (Bubonic plague is less deadly, but even so, 1 in 7

> of all plague cases in the United States are fatal.)

> >

> > Biologists have already deciphered the genomes of other

> disease-causing organisms, including those that cause meningitis and

> cholera. So far, nobody has developed a vaccine directly from that

> information, but it's only a matter of time, scientists say.

> >

> > " People are still learning how to use genomes to the best

> advantage, but they are learning fast and things are changing fast, "

> says Keim, a biologist at Northern Arizona University in

> Flagstaff.

> >

> > Dr. Keim uses DNA " fingerprinting " techniques, as would be

> used in a court case to identify a suspect, to study bacteria that

> could be used as biological weapons. By examining very specific

areas

> of the genome, he can identify slightly different versions of the

> strains of plague. That information, in turn, could help pinpoint

the

> source of any suspected bioterrorism bug.

> >

> > Meanwhile, other scientists are working on ways to render

the

> bacterium harmless once it gets inside humans. ston, a

> molecular biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical

> Center at Dallas, develops " genetic vaccines " that aim to disarm a

> specific disease-causing gene in an organism. Knowing the genome of

> plague, Dr. ston says, will help him better identify which genes

> to work on.

> >

> > " It reduces the complexity of the search about twentyfold, "

> he says.

> >

> > Someday, such studies - which are conducted in animals - may

> help in developing a better human vaccine.

> >

> > The plague vaccine that was licensed for use in the United

> States was discontinued by its manufacturers in 1999 because of side

> effects and questions about its potency. It was never available to

> the public, only to the military and laboratory workers who might be

> exposed to the plague.

> >

> > It also worked only for the bubonic plague - not the

> pneumonic form that is a more likely outcome of a bioterrorist

attack.

>

>

>

>