New plague like Black Death

[Guest guest]

Scientists discover 21st century black plague that spreads from rats

to humans By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:16 AM on 24th November 2008

A new plague which jumps from rats to humans has been discovered by

scientists.

Fears are growing that increasing numbers of brown rats - the most

common kind in Europe - are carrying a strain of bacteria that can

cause serious illness in humans from heart disease to infection of the

spleen and nervous system.

The new strain of bacteria called Bartonella rochalimae is spread

between rats by fleas, Taiwanese researchers have said.

It was first discovered in an American woman with an enlarged spleen

who had recently travelled to Peru.

'This event raised concern that it could be a newly emerged zoonotic

pathogen,' said Professor Chao-Chin Chang from the National Chung

Hsing University in Taiwan.

'Therefore, we decided to investigate further to understand if rodents

living close to human environment could carry this bacteria.'

Scientists have found that rodents carry several pathogenic species of

Bartonella, such as B. elizabethae, which can cause inflammation of

the heart and B. grahamii, which causes inflammation of the retina and

optic nerve of the eye.

'By analysing the DNA of the bacteria, we discovered a strain that is

most closely related to B. rochalimae, which has been isolated

recently from a human infection in the United States,' said Professor

Chang.

Researchers took samples from 58 rats and mice.

Six of the rodents were found to be carrying Bartonella bacteria; five

of these were brown rats.

Four of the rodents were carrying B. elizabethae, which can cause

heart disease in humans, and one of the black rats was found to be

harbouring B. tribocorum.

However, scientists noticed one strain that had not been identified in

rodents previously. The strain was finally shown to be Bartonella

rochalimae.

Professor Change said the results raised concerns about the existence

of a 21st century plague.

'This certainly warrants further investigation,' he said.

The Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history,

widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia

pestis, or Bubonic plague.

It was spread by rodents in the 14th century and centuries after that,

killing an estimated 75 million people worldwide.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1088887/Scientists-discover-21st-centu\

ry-black-plague-spreads-rats-humans.html

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24704545-5017320,00.html

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=2 & ContentID=109853