Yersinia pestisPlasminogen Activator Gene Homolog in Rat Tissues

Abstract

To the Editor: Yersinia pestis causes plague, which primarily affects rodents, but is an invasive and virulent pathogen among humans. Y. pestis infection is endemic in small rodent populations in different parts of the world, and the bacterium is considered a potential bioweapon because it can be easily isolated, produced, dried, and dispersed as an aerosol. Antimicrobial drug treatment can be lifesaving during the early stages of illness; hence, rapid and sensitive methods for Y. pestis detection in environmental and clinical samples are required. Multiple PCR assays for Y. pestis detection that primarily detect markers located on plasmids have been developed (1–6). The plasminogen activator/coagulase (pla) gene, located on plasmid pPCP1, is incorporated into most Y. pestis PCR assays, and in several studies it was the prime or sole marker (1,2,5,7–9). Reasons for including pla in these assays are its occurrence in multiple copies, its absence from closely related Yersinia species, and its role in Y. pestis virulence (1,4,5).