Which bacterium is the causative agent of bubonic plague?

Which bacterium is the causative agent of bubonic plague?

• A. Bacillus anthracis
• B. Yersinia pestis
• C. Vibrio cholerae
• D. Staphylococcus aureus

Answer: (B)

The bacterium Yersinia pestis is the cause of bubonic plague. It is a small gram-negative coccobacillus that cycles between rodent hosts and flea vectors; when fleas infected with it bite humans, the bacterium can disseminate to regional lymph nodes, producing characteristic swollen, painful buboes and fever. Yersinia pestis carries virulence factors such as a type III secretion system that helps it evade the immune system, contributing to its rapid progression in bubonic plague. This organism is distinct from Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax; Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera; and Staphylococcus aureus, which causes a wide range of staph infections—none of which are bubonic plague.

The bacterium Yersinia pestis is the cause of bubonic plague. It is a small gram-negative coccobacillus that cycles between rodent hosts and flea vectors; when fleas infected with it bite humans, the bacterium can disseminate to regional lymph nodes, producing characteristic swollen, painful buboes and fever. Yersinia pestis carries virulence factors such as a type III secretion system that helps it evade the immune system, contributing to its rapid progression in bubonic plague. This organism is distinct from Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax; Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera; and Staphylococcus aureus, which causes a wide range of staph infections—none of which are bubonic plague.