Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers.

Xavier Vallès ,Voahangy Andrianaivoarimanana ,Yazdan Yazdanpanah ,Éric D’ortenzio ,Peter Horby ,Beza Ramasindrazana ,Steven R Belmain ,Christian E Demeure ,Arnaud Fontanet ,Sandra Telfer ,Nils Chr Stenseth ,Inès Vigan-Womas ,B Joseph Hinnebusch ,Pablo Tortosa ,Javier Pizarro‐Cerdá ,Guia Carrara ,Romain Girod ,M Ratsitorahina ,Holger C Scholz ,Minoarisoa Rajerison ,Paul S Mead ,Oswaldo Cabanillas ,David M Wagner ,Jane Lynda Deuve ,Laurence Baril

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008251

Abstract

Yersinia pestis, the bacterial causative agent of plague, remains an important threat to human health. Plague is a rodent-borne disease that has historically shown an outstanding ability to colonize and persist across different species, habitats, and environments while provoking sporadic cases, outbreaks, and deadly global epidemics among humans. Between September and November 2017, an outbreak of urban pneumonic plague was declared in Madagascar, which refocused the attention of the scientific community on this ancient human scourge. Given recent trends and plague’s resilience to control in the wild, its high fatality rate in humans without early treatment, and its capacity to disrupt social and healthcare systems, human plague should be considered as a neglected threat. A workshop was held in Paris in July 2018 to review current knowledge about plague and to identify the scientific research priorities to eradicate plague as a human threat. It was concluded that an urgent commitment is needed to develop and fund a strong research agenda aiming to fill the current knowledge gaps structured around 4 main axes: (i) an improved understanding of the ecological interactions among the reservoir, vector, pathogen, and environment; (ii) human and societal responses; (iii) improved diagnostic tools and case management; and (iv) vaccine development. These axes should be cross-cutting, translational, and focused on delivering context-specific strategies. Results of this research should feed a global control and prevention strategy within a “One Health” approach.

Highlights

Plague is a bacterial rodent-borne disease caused by Yersinia pestis, a gram-negative bacillus member of the Enterobacteriaceae family
We argue that the Madagascar outbreak in 2017 is a tipping point in human plague epidemiology and a call to elevate research priorities on plague as a matter of some urgency
In contrast with what occurred with the Ebola virus disease crisis in West Africa between 2013 and 2015 and the new coronaviruses, we have an opportunity to act preventively and enable evidence-based measures to avoid major health crises due to plague outbreaks in the near future

Summary

Author summary

The historical aspect of plague makes for fascinating reading, due to its capacity to disrupt human society and its socioeconomic and cultural impacts throughout human history. We argue that the Madagascar outbreak in 2017 is a tipping point in human plague epidemiology and a call to elevate research priorities on plague as a matter of some urgency. In contrast with what occurred with the Ebola virus disease crisis in West Africa between 2013 and 2015 and the new coronaviruses (the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus [SARS-CoV] and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV] as early warnings of the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] pandemic), we have an opportunity to act preventively and enable evidence-based measures to avoid major health crises due to plague outbreaks in the near future

Findings

Introduction

Discussion