Experimental plague vaccine strategy protects mice with missing key immune defenses

The plague has killed more people than World War II.

The bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yp), which causes plague, has triggered three major pandemics throughout history, leaving behind a casualty toll of more than 200 million people.

Although the plague no longer causes pandemics on the scale seen in history, it still occurs in many parts of the world today.

Vaccination remains our best defense against the disease, but approved options remain scarce. ...