Persistence of Yersinia pestis in Soil Under Natural Conditions

Abstract

As part of a fatal human plague case investigation, we showed that the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, can survive for at least 24 days in contaminated soil under natural conditions. These results have implications for defining plague foci, persistence, transmission, and bioremediation after a natural or intentional exposure to Y. pestis.

Keywords

• Yersinia pestis
• soil
• plague
• dispatch
• United States