Plague Research: An Overview
Several government agencies support
plague research in an effort to help in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infections caused by microbes (including those that have the potential for use as biological weapons). The research program to address biodefense includes both short- and long-term studies targeted at designing, developing, evaluating, and approving specific tools (diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines) needed to defend against possible bioterrorist-caused disease outbreaks.
Current Focus of Plague Research
Current areas of plague research include:
- Identifying genes in the Yersinia pestis bacteria that infect the digestive tract of fleas and researching how the bacteria are transferred to humans
- Developing a plague vaccine that protects against pneumonic plague acquired through inhalation
- Studying the disease-causing proteins and genes of Yersinia pestis that allow the bacteria to grow in humans, and how they function in human lungs
- Developing promising antibiotics and intervention strategies to prevent and treat plague infection.
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