ArticleParasites & vectors2020
Biovar-related differences apparent in the flea foregut colonization phenotype of distinct Yersinia pestis strains do not impact transmission efficiency.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interaction of Bacteria and Fleas, Focusing on the Plague Bacterium-A Review.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- CsrA-Mediated Translational Activation of theJournal of bacteriology · 2023Article
- A Role for Early-Phase Transmission in the Enzootic Maintenance of Plague.PLoS pathogens · 2022Article
- Article
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4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYersinia pestis is the flea-transmitted etiological agent of bubonic plague. Sylvatic plague consists of complex tripartite interactions between diverse flea and wild rodent species, and pathogen strains. Transmission by flea bite occurs primarily by the Y. pestis biofilm-mediated foregut blockage and regurgitation mechanism, which has been largely detailed by studies in the model interaction between Y. pestis KIM6+ and Xenopsylla cheopis. Here, we test if pathogen-specific traits influence this interaction by determining the dynamics of foregut blockage development in X. cheopis fleas among extant avirulent pCD1-Y. pestis strains, KIM6+ and CO92, belonging to distinct biovars, and a non-circulating mutant CO92 strain (CO92gly), restored for glycerol fermentation; a key biochemical difference between the two biovars.
methodsSeparate flea cohorts infected with distinct strains were evaluated for (i) blockage development, bacterial burdens and flea foregut blockage pathology, and (ii) for the number of bacteria transmitted by regurgitation during membrane feeding. Strain burdens per flea was determined for fleas co-infected with CO92 and KIM6+ strains at a ratio of 1:1.
resultsStrains KIM6+ and CO92 developed foregut blockage at similar rates and peak temporal incidences, but the CO92gly strain showed significantly greater blockage rates that peak earlier post-infection. The KIM6+ strain, however, exhibited a distinctive foregut pathology wherein bacterial colonization extended the length of the esophagus up to the feeding mouthparts in ~65% of blocked fleas; in contrast to 32% and 26%, respectively, in fleas blocked with CO92 and CO92gly. The proximity of KIM6+ to the flea mouthparts in blocked fleas did not result in higher regurgitative transmission efficiencies as all strains transmitted variable numbers of Y. pestis, albeit slightly lower for CO92gly. During competitive co-infection, strains KIM6+ and CO92 were equally fit maintaining equivalent infection proportions in fleas over time.
conclusionsWe demonstrate that disparate foregut blockage pathologies exhibited by distinct extant Y. pestis strain genotypes do not influence transmission efficiency from X. cheopis fleas. In fact, distinct extant Y. pestis genotypes maintain equivalently effective blockage and transmission efficiencies which is likely advantageous to maintaining continued successful plague spread and establishment of new plague foci.
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