Plague vaccine protects mice from Yersinia pestis bacteria

The bacterium Yersinia pestis causes frequent outbreaks that kill people, but a new vaccine based on cutting edge technology has shown promise in a mouse study

By Carissa Wong

An experimental vaccine has been found to protect mice from a lethal dose of the bacterium that causes the plague.

Famous for killing millions in Europe in the Middle Ages, the bacterium Yersinia pestis still causes frequent deadly outbreaks, including recent ones in Madagascar, India, China and the US. It is usually treated with antibiotics, but if antibiotic-resistant strains of Y. pestis emerge, other measures will be needed, such as vaccines.

Vaccines containing live or dead Y. pestis bacteria have been used in the past, …