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Some new research on plague victims from London shows that the particular strain of the plague bacterium that caused the Black Death is probably extinct. Archaeologists and biologists worked together to extract DNA from the bodies of plague victims and sequence it. I think the results are interesting but what I particularly like is the cross discipline cooperation and the study putting another nail in the idea that the plague was not caused by the Y. Pestis bacteria.
I liked these gems:
That doesn't mean it's safe to relax, noted Ole Georg Moseng of the Institute of Health and Society at the University of Oslo, Norway. Other forms are still dangerous, although it varies by strain, he said. The germ is carried by fleas.
Not "safe to relax", eh? 😀
Since 1954, he noted, there have been yearly outbreaks in Brazil, Congo, Madagascar, Myanmar, Peru, the U.S. and Vietnam.
Yes, the good old U.S. right there smack dab in the middle of a bunch of tropical, Third World countries. Go figure!
The bacteria is still around, they are just claiming that the particular strain strain responsible for the Black Death is extinct. If I remember right, most Plague cases in the US involve animals and are centered along the Continental Divide, the terrain there allows a reservoir of the bacteria to survive in the wild. I don't know how long it has been sine someone died from a naturally contracted case of the Plague in the US, I just know I am vaccinated against it thanks to Uncle Sugar, that and about 20 other diseases.
