Transmission of the Plague Bacillus Yersinia Pestis by Fleas - Molecular Mechanism

Hinnebusch, B J.

Abstract

Yersinia pestis, the bubonic plague bacillus, is transmitted primarily by the bites of infected fleas. Whereas the molecular pathogenesis of plague in the mammalian host has been the focus of much research, the molecular and genetic mechanisms that enable Y. pestis, uniquely among the Enterobacteriaceae, to utilize a blood-sucking insect for transmission have not been studied. The goal of this project is to identify Y. pestis genes that are specifically expressed in the flea and to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie each step of infection in the flea, from ingestion in the blood meal to subsequent transmission.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Type: Intramural Research (Z01)
• Project #: 1Z01AI000796-01
• Application #: 6160788
• Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel (LMSF)
• Support Year: 1
• Fiscal Year: 1997

Institution

• Name: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Country: United States

Publications

Spinner, Justin L; Hinnebusch, B Joseph (2012) The life stage of Yersinia pestis in the flea vector confers increased resistance to phagocytosis and killing by murine polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Adv Exp Med Biol 954:159-63

Sebbane, Florent; Jarrett, Clayton; Gardner, Donald et al. (2009) The Yersinia pestis caf1M1A1 fimbrial capsule operon promotes transmission by flea bite in a mouse model of bubonic plague. Infect Immun 77:1222-9

Bartra, Sara Schesser; Styer, Katie L; O'Bryant, Deanna M et al. (2008) Resistance of Yersinia pestis to complement-dependent killing is mediated by the Ail outer membrane protein. Infect Immun 76:612-22

Hinnebusch, B J; Erickson, D L (2008) Yersinia pestis biofilm in the flea vector and its role in the transmission of plague. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 322:229-48

Comer, Jason E; Lorange, Ellen A; Hinnebusch, B Joseph (2008) Examining the vector-host-pathogen interface with quantitative molecular tools. Methods Mol Biol 431:123-31

Sun, Yi-Cheng; Hinnebusch, B Joseph; Darby, Creg (2008) Experimental evidence for negative selection in the evolution of a Yersinia pestis pseudogene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105:8097-101

Erickson, David L; Waterfield, Nicholas R; Vadyvaloo, Viveka et al. (2007) Acute oral toxicity of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis to fleas: implications for the evolution of vector-borne transmission of plague. Cell Microbiol 9:2658-66

Erickson, David L; Jarrett, Clayton O; Wren, Brendan W et al. (2006) Serotype differences and lack of biofilm formation characterize Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection of the Xenopsylla cheopis flea vector of Yersinia pestis. J Bacteriol 188:1113-9

Sebbane, Florent; Jarrett, Clayton O; Gardner, Donald et al. (2006) Role of the Yersinia pestis plasminogen activator in the incidence of distinct septicemic and bubonic forms of flea-borne plague. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:5526-30

Rebeil, Roberto; Ernst, Robert K; Jarrett, Clayton O et al. (2006) Characterization of late acyltransferase genes of Yersinia pestis and their role in temperature-dependent lipid A variation. J Bacteriol 188:1381-8