Introduction

Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, a zoonotic bacteria, usually found in small mammals and their fleas. It is transmitted between animals through fleas. Humans can be infected through the bite of infected vector fleas, unprotected contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials, and the inhalation of respiratory droplets/small particles from a patient with pneumonic plague.

Plague is a very severe disease in people, particularly in its septicaemic (systemic infection caused by circulating bacteria in bloodstream) and pneumonic forms, with a case-fatality ratio of 30% to 100% if left untreated. The pneumonic form is invariably fatal unless treated early. It is especially contagious and can trigger severe epidemics through person-to-person contact via droplets in the air.

Historically, plague was responsible for widespread pandemics with high mortality. It was known as the "Black Death" during the fourteenth century, causing more than 50 million deaths in Europe. Nowadays, plague is easily treated with antibiotics and the use of standard precautions to prevent acquiring infection.

This kit is designed with specific primers and probes targeting the conserved region of Yersinia pestis, generating fluorescence signals on a constant temperature nucleic acid amplification instrument. By employing POCT detection, it realizes qualitative and genotypic identification of Yersinia pestis at the nucleic acid level.