Black Death Genetic Code "Built"

BBC ^ | 10/12/2011 | Matt McGrath

[Just4Him]

The genetic code of the germ that caused the Black Death has been reconstructed by scientists for the first time.

The researchers extracted DNA fragments of the ancient bacterium from the teeth of medieval corpses found in London.

They say the pathogen is the ancestor of all modern plagues.

The research, published in the journal Nature, suggests the 14th Century outbreak was also the first plague pandemic in history.

[Doc Savage]

Obama was alive even then???????????

[Just4Him]

*chuckles* Well, some folks think he is the Pharaoh Akhenaten reincarnated. Ya never know. :D

[upchuck]

The researchers extracted DNA fragments of the ancient bacterium from the teeth of medieval corpses found in London.

Shades of Jurassic Park.

[sphinx]

The Justinian Plague that broke out in the 6th Century was estimated to have killed 100 million people.

No time to check sources this morning, but that seems likely an awfully high figure. I know the Justinian Plague was devastating, but might this figure be for repeated occurances over several centuries?

[Vaquero]

bubonic plague....a Bacterial infection.

penicillin, Cipro, most any antibiotic can kill it....

[knarf]

Sooo .. what is it you'd like to do here at murky, murky and murky reaearch, Dr. doom?

Well, I've always dreamed I'd be able to reproduce the Black Death, if only given the chance, sir.

Welcome aboard, my boy ... you'll have a lab, as many lovely assistants you need and all the money necesarry.

Thank you, sir ... I'll make you proud .. I promise

[DuncanWaring]

Here’s one reference that cites the “100 million” figure:

http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/bioter/anempiresepidemic.html

[BuffaloJack]

> bubonic plague....a Bacterial infection.
> penicillin, Cipro, most any antibiotic can kill it....

The antibiotic of choice for bubonic plague (yersinia pestis) is streptomycin. I know this because that’s what I was given in late 1970 when I had plague.

[jmcenanly]

Shades of Jurassic Park.
At least it would be easier to keep the Velociraptors off the airlines. Even the TSA could handle that. I just hope that some of the people who introduced it to us in the first place don't decide to try it again

[mkjessup]

MSNBC's Al Sharpton: "Until I hear about scientists modifying the DNA to create an equal and equivalent White Death, this is nothing but racism in the laboratory!"

[BuckeyeTexan]

If this pathogen is the grandparent of all modern plagues, then it seems like we’d have some built in immunities to it. I’m not a doctor or scientist though ...

[Pontiac]

Treatment of the plague must be rapid and aggressive. Y. pestis is generally susceptible to streptomycin and chloramphenicol but concomitant therapy is sometimes recommended. Treatment of Y. enterocolitica infections usually involves the use of ampicillin or tetracycline.

Southern Illinois University

[2001convSVT]

13 Monkeys anyone?

[dangerdoc]

If you are of European stock, you might have some innate resistance to the disease, but unless you were in the military or live in the desert southwest, your immune system is likely naive to the disease.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Note: this topic is dated 10/13/2013. Blast from the Past. Thanks Just4Him. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 10/13/2011. Thanks Just4Him.

join or quit view topics view or post blog bookmark post new topic subscribe