Medieval Black Death Was Probably Not Bubonic Plague

Science Daily ^ | Posted 4/15/2002 | Penn State

[BMCDA]

Ping to all y'all.

[wimpycat]

Here's an interesting website about the plague.

Also, it's important to remember that a disease acts differently when it's first introduced to a population (hence the extremely high mortality among American Indians exposed to European diseases)and the symptoms are often different.

[xJones]

However it was caused, that was one effective little bugger.

[BMCDA]

Interesting article.

[Gladwin]

Also, it's important to remember that a disease acts differently when it's first introduced to a population (hence the extremely high mortality among American Indians exposed to European diseases)and the symptoms are often differenthence the extremely high mortality among American Indians exposed to European diseases

Can you expand on that?

[BluH2o]

“The symptoms of the Black Death included high fevers, fetid breath, coughing, vomiting of blood and foul body odor,”

Foul body odor in that era was pretty much the norm ... as was fetid breath (bad teeth).
So how could you tell?
I assume they're talking about degree ... more odoriferous and fetid than usual.:o[

[Gladwin]

Those are some fast moving rats. Whats the land speed velocity of an African rat?

[Black Agnes]

Thank you. It's interesting that the pla gene they sequenced for shows a point mutation from what's available in genbank today. It's also a fairly significant (size and hydrophobicitywise) mutation, phenylalanine to serine. Phenylalanine is fairly large and has a big non polar aromatic group. Serine is small and polar. No idea what this might do w. regard to the virulence aspect, but there are undoubtedly other differences in other genes they didn't sequence for. It would be interesting for them to sequence the whole genome of this particular bug and compare it to 'modern' y. pestis. I have read several theories that maintain that y. pestis mutated itself into 'not as virulent' somewhere along the end of the 1600's. Interesting to see if this is true. Modern plague sequencing and information can be found at....

Sanger Yersinia Pestis Sequencing Project Home

[EBUCK]

See my post here and the rest of this thread on same subject.

EBUCK

[Digger]

Keep letting these DemocRATS muliply & you will see the same, however the mind goes first.

[Dog Gone]

Why shouldn't new diseases appear? Microorganisms tend to reproduce extremely rapidly, and genetic mutations should tend to occur more rapidly than in larger organisms.

Black Death could have been a variation of something which currently exists, or it could have been something which died out along with susceptible hosts. It was a nasty little bugger, though.

[SauronOfMordor]

"Also, it's important to remember that a disease acts differently when it's first introduced to a population " -- Can you expand on that?

After a few generations of exposure, the only survivors are those who have some degree of immunity to the disease.

[Gladwin]

This article was posted a few days ago

Is anyone else having trouble when searching for articles? I searched on the term black death, but I couldn't find anything.

[Hagrid]

I just read the study--looks sound to me.

[AndrewC]

Thanks for the ping. Black Agnes post 7 is pretty good.

[Gladwin]

I was recently taking Zithromax (antibiotic), and I went to a website describing how bacteria can become immune to this antibiotic. Apparently, in E.Coli (I think), one small genetic change renders the bacteria immune to Zithromax.

I was also told to eat lots of yogurt to replenish the bacteria in my colon. lol

[AndrewC]

I searched on the term black death, but I couldn't find anything.

The lesson is, shoot all Rats on sight, especially those from Massachusetts.

[xJones]

Those are some fast moving rats. What is the land speed velocity of an African rat?

Landspeed? Then you rule out the aid of African swallows. With that speed, one would suspect Acme roller skates. :)

Speaking of the effects of newly introduced diseases, here's an interesting read: Spanish Conquest. Excerpt: Unknown to the Aztecs the Spanish had an invisible advantage. Apparently, one Spaniard soldiers was infected with the smallpox virus. Within two weeks the disease infected the Aztec Empire and one forth of the population died.

[jude24]

Don't these so-called scientists have anything better to do with our tax dollars than to spend their time trying to debunk accepted science.

That's what scientific inquiry is all about...

It was once scientifically accepted that proteins contained the genetic material of heredity, and that DNA was likely just a solvent or something. It wasnt until Watson and Crick in the '50's determined with x-ray crystallography the structure of DNA (the AGCT bases) that DNA could indeed transmit and record a lot of data.

Science is about examining what you "know," and finding out what you only thought you knew.

[Gladwin]

After a few generations of exposure, the only survivors are those who have some degree of immunity to the disease.

Hmm, then the symptoms would be different?