Phylogenetic analysis of the origin and spread of plague in Madagascar.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, highly prevalent in the Central Highlands, a mountainous region in the center of Madagascar. After a plague-free period of over 60 years in the northwestern coast city of Mahajanga, the disease reappeared in 1991 and caused several outbreaks until 1999. Previous research indicates that the disease was reintroduced to the city of Mahajanga from the Central Highlands instead of reemerging from a local reservoir. However, it is not clear how many reintroductions occurred and when they took place.

Methodology/principal findings

In this study we applied a Bayesian phylogeographic model to detect and date migrations of Y. pestis between the two locations that could be linked to the re-emergence of pla

SUBMITTER: Esquivel Gomez LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10174576 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature