Plague Origins

Question 1

Endemic

Answer 1

When a disease is present in a population or geographic location at consistent levels and periods of time

Question 2

Epidemic

Answer 2

When the disease spreads amongst the population far more that it should for a given time and place

Question 3

Pandemic

Answer 3

An epidemic that occurs over a wide area, such as multiple continents or the world

Question 4

Aetiology

Answer 4

The cause, set of causes or manner of causation of a disease or condition

Question 5

Virulence gene

Answer 5

A gene whose presence or activity in an organisms genome is responsible for the pathogenicity of an infective agent

Question 6

Plague

Answer 6

An infectious disease cause by the bacteria yersinia pestis

Question 7

How would use yersinia pestis as a form of bioterrorism

Answer 7

By artificially created aerosol containing bacteria that can cause numerous cases of primary pneumonic plague in an exposed population

Question 8

Two genes found in modern strains of plague

Answer 8

Yersinia murine toxin and the mutation in activator gene pla

Question 9

Molecular clock

Answer 9

A technique in molecular evolution that uses fossil constrains and rates of metabolic change to pinpoint the time in history when two species or taxa diverged