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Yersinia Pestis
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Yersinia pestis are the bacteria that cause plague. This is a Gram-negative bacteria that can grow with or without oxygen (a quality called facultative anaerobic).
Yersinia pestis was formerly classified in the Pasteurellaceae family, but based on its similarities to Escherichia coli (E. coli), the Yersinia group has been reclassified as members of the Enterobacteriaceae family.
Although there are 11 named species in the genus Yersinia, only three are considered important human pathogens:
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is the closest genetic relative to Yersinia pestis, but it can be distinguished from Yersinia pestis by the symptoms it causes and by laboratory test results. Neither of these bacteria frequently infect humans, in contrast to Yersinia enterocolitica, which accounts for 1 to 3 percent of diarrhea cases caused by bacteria.
Yersinia pestis is found most commonly in rats, but occasionally in other animals, such as:
Other, less frequent sources include wild rabbits and wild carnivores that pick up their infections from wild rodent outbreaks.
Deer mice and voles (field mice) are thought to maintain Yersinia pestis in animal populations, but are less important as sources of human infection.
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