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Did one gene mutation launch the Black Death?
2015-06-30 22:31:22| Biotech - Topix.net
One small genetic change may have transformed Yersinia pestis -- the plague bacteria -- from a relatively mild germ into the deadly bug that killed millions in the Black Death and other historic epidemics, scientists report. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, humans can contract Y. pestis after being bitten by a flea carried by a rodent or by handling the rodent themselves.
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Category:Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals