Yersinia pestis It remains a global public health problem. The bacteria is transmitted by a parasitic insect, the flea. In a study published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, the researchers from the team "Plague and Yersinia pestis» from the Lille Center for Infection and Immunity (CNRS UMR9017, INSERM U1019, Univ. Lille) have shown that blood proteins are unexpected allies for the bacteria. To be transmitted, Y. pestis must first survive in the flea's intestine after a blood meal, a particularly hostile environment marked by oxidative stress. Amélie Dewitte, Florent Sebbane et Sébastien Bontemps-Gallo have shown that certain blood plasma proteins, particularly albumin, promote the early survival of the bacteria in the flea's gut by mitigating oxidative stress. These results reveal that the host's blood is not only a source of nutrients; it also influences the early stages of bacterial transmission. This discovery improves our understanding of pathogen-vector-host interactions and could contribute to identify new strategies to limit the transmission of vector-borne diseases.
Albumin plasma contributes to early Yersinia pestis survival at the onset of flea infection
Dewitte A, Sebbane F, Bontemps-Gallo S.
PLoS Pathog. 2026 Feb 27;22(2):e1014022. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1014022
