Video - Yersinia pestis (Plague)

Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacillus that grows well on blood, chocolate, and MacConkey agar. Its virulence factors include capsular antigen F1, which protects it from neutrophils, and Yops, which inactivates macrophages, as well as a siderophore which it uses for iron uptake. It produces a disease called plague, which has three forms - bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Plague is diagnosed by identifying the bacteria in cultures from blood, bubo aspirate, and sputum or in a peripheral blood smear with Gram, Wright-Giemsa, or Wayson staining and also through serological tests and rapid antigen tests. Effective treatment of plague involves aminoglycosides like gentamicin and streptomycin.