Plague and Other Yersinia Infections

1. Introduction.- 2. Discovery of the Organisms.- 2.1. Life of Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943).- 2.1.1. Youth and Education.- 2.1.2. Paris: Influence of Pasteur, Work with Roux on Diphtheria.- 2.1.3. The Orient: Explorations in Indochina.- 2.1.4. Discovery of the Plague Bacillus.- 2.1.5. The Yersin-Kitasato Controversy.- 2.1.6. Further Work on Plague.- 2.1.7. Other Activities.- 2.1.8. Final Years.- 2.2. Nomenclature.- 2.3. History of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.- 2.4. The Life and Work of K. F. Meyer (1884-1974).- References.- 3. Epidemiology.- 3.1. Plague.- 3.1.1. Cycles of Transmission.- 3.1.2. World Distribution of Human Plague.- 3.1.3. Plague in Vietnam.- 3.1.4. Plague in Burma.- 3.1.5. Plague in Brazil.- 3.1.6. Plague in the United States.- 3.1.7. Plague in Indonesia.- 3.1.8. Ecology of Plague.- 3.1.9. Mortality from Plague.- 3.2. Yersinia enterocolitica Infection.- 3.2.1. Geographic Distribution.- 3.2.2. Serotypes and Biotypes.- 3.2.3. Reservoirs and Environmental Sources.- 3.2.4. Epidemics.- 3.2.5. Seasonal Variation in Occurrence.- 3.2.6. Effects of Age and Sex.- 3.2.7. Other Host Factors.- 3.2.8. Relationship to Other Infections.- 3.3. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infection.- References.- 4. Clinical Syndromes and Pathology in Humans.- 4.1. Plague.- 4.1.1. Bubonic Plague.- 4.1.2. Cutaneous Manifestations.- 4.1.3. Septicemic Plague.- 4.1.4. Pneumonic Plague.- 4.1.5. Meningeal Plague.- 4.1.6. Plague Pharyngitis.- 4.1.7. Liver and Spleen Involvement.- 4.1.8. Kidney Involvement.- 4.1.9. Cardiac Involvement.- 4.1.10. Hematological Aspects.- 4.1.11. Plague-Simulating Surgical Emergencies.- 4.1.12. Differential Diagnosis.- 4.1.13. Mortality.- 4.2. Yersinia enterocolitica Infection.- 4.2.1. Acute Enteritis.- 4.2.2. Abdominal Pain and Appendicitislike Syndrome.- 4.2.3. Arthritis.- 4.2.4. Erythema Nodosum.- 4.2.5. Septicemia and Generalized Infections.- 4.2.6. Miscellaneous Clinical Forms.- 4.3. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infection.- References.- 5. Pathogenesis and Toxins.- 5.1. Plague.- 5.1.1. Introduction.- 5.1.2. Virulence Determinants.- 5.1.3. Determinants of Pathogenicity.- 5.2. Yersinia enterocolitica Infection.- 5.2.1. Experimental Infections.- 5.2.2. Invasive Properties of Yersiniaenterocolitica.- 5.2.3. Plasmid-Mediated Control of Invasiveness.- 5.2.4. Enterotoxin Production by Yersiniaenterocolitica.- 5.2.5. Role of Serum Complement and Bacterial Endotoxin in Pathogenesis.- 5.2.6. Temperature Dependence of Virulence of Yersinia enterocolitica.- 5.2.7. Role of Iron in Pathogenesis.- 5.2.8. Pathogenesis of Yersinia Arthritis.- 5.3. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infection.- 5.3.1. Experimental Infections.- 5.3.2. Invasiveness for HeLa Cells.- 5.3.3. Lipopolysaccharides of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.- 5.3.4. Other Virulence Determinants of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.- References.- 6. Diagnosis and Treatment.- 6.1. The Diagnosis of Plague.- 6.1.1. Clinical Diagnosis.- 6.1.2. Bacteriological Diagnosis.- 6.1.3. Electrophoresis of Yersinia pestis.- 6.1.4. Serological Techniques.- 6.2. Diagnosis of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infections.- 6.2.1. Clinical Diagnosis.- 6.2.2. Bacteriological Diagnosis.- 6.2.3. Serological Techniques.- 6.2.4. Problems with Specificity of Yersinia Serology.- 6.3. Treatment of Plague.- 6.3.1. Antibiotics.- 6.3.2. Supportive Therapy.- 6.4. Treatment of Yersinia Infections.- 6.4.1. Antibiotic Therapy.- 6.4.2. Avoidance of Unnecessary Surgery.- References.- 7. Prevention and Control.- 7.1. Control of Plague.- 7.1.1. Sentinel Animals for Plague Surveillance.- 7.1.2. Effectiveness of Strategies for Plague Control.- 7.1.3. Plague Vaccine: A Brief History.- 7.1.4. Use of Plague Vaccine in Vietnam.- 7.1.5. Recommended Use of Vaccines Today.- 7.1.6. Newer Approaches to Vaccination.- 7.1.7. Can Plague Be Eradicated?.- 7.2. Control of Other Yersinia Infections.- References.