With the threat of biological warfare looming, scientists have decoded the entire DNA map, or genome, of the bacterium that causes Bubonic plague.
Throughout recorded history, three epidemics of the plague have claimed a total of 200 million lives.
The new information is expected to make the search for a vaccine substantially easier.
'Having the complete genome means you're not reduced to scrambling around,' said Julian Parkhill, of the Sabger Center near Cambridge, England, the site of the discovery. 'You can go into the genome and select candidates.'
The genome is made of four parts: one large circular chromosome containing 4,653,728 bases of DNA and three smaller rings called plasmids.
The bacterium's genome contains 150 genes that have been rendered inactive at some point throughout its evolution. These genes may help scientist learn why some diseases colonize the gut, where the plague originally infected its hosts.
