Yersinia pestis

Y. pestis general characteristics

Safety pin appearance

Facultative intracellular

Capsulated in young culture

Grows at 27°C

Y. pestis Virulence factors

Yop virulon (A and B)

F1 antigen

V W antigen

Pesticin

Coagulase

Fibrinolysin

Plasmids

Yop Virulon function

Injects toxin into cell

Kills phagocytes

F1 antigen function

Capsular antigen produced at 37°C

V W antigen function

Produced intracellularly to protect from intracellular killing

Pesticin function

Coagulase is produced where

P: Bacteriocin

C: only in rat flea bodies

Y. pestis plasmids and functions

pPla: activates plasminogen in human host; factor for pneumonic plague

pFra: codes phospholipase D; important for flea transmission

Y. pestis human-to-human transmission

Direct contact with infected tissue

Respiratory droplets

Y. pestis lab diagnosis

MAC agar

Serology using Anti F1 Ab

PCR

Y. pestis treatment

Streptomycin

Chloramphenicol