An artificially created bacterium named Cynthia is a new generation biological weapon. What kind of disease is the plague?

The culprits of the most massive deaths in history are not the politicians who started the wars. Pandemics of terrible diseases were the causes of the most widespread death and suffering of people. How did it happen and where is plague, smallpox, typhus, leprosy, cholera now?

Historical facts about the plague

The plague pandemic brought the most massive mortality in the middle of the 14th century, sweeping across Eurasia and, according to the most conservative estimates of historians, killing 60 million people. If we consider that at that time the world's population was only 450 million, then one can imagine the catastrophic scale of the “Black Death,” as this disease was called. In Europe, the population decreased by about a third, and the labor shortage was felt here for at least another 100 years, farms were abandoned, the economy was in a terrible state. In all subsequent centuries, major outbreaks of plague were also observed, the last of which was noted in 1910-1911 in the northeastern part of China.

Origin of the name of the plague

The names come from Arabic. The Arabs called the plague “jummah,” which translated means “ball” or “bean.” The reason for this was the appearance of the inflamed lymph node of a plague patient - the bubo.

Methods of spread and symptoms of plague

There are three forms of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. All of them are caused by one bacterium, Yersinia pestis, or, more simply, the plague bacillus. Its carriers are rodents with anti-plague immunity. And the fleas that have bitten these rats, also through a bite, transmit it to humans. The bacterium infects the flea's esophagus, as a result of which it becomes blocked, and the insect becomes eternally hungry, bites everyone and immediately infects it through the resulting wound.

Methods of combating plague

In medieval times, plague-inflamed lymph nodes (buboes) were cut out or cauterized, opening them. Plague was considered a type of poisoning in which some poisonous miasma entered the human body, so treatment consisted of taking antidotes known at that time, for example, crushed jewelry. Nowadays, the plague is successfully overcome with the help of common antibiotics.

The plague is now

Every year, about 2.5 thousand people become infected with the plague, but this is no longer in the form of a mass epidemic, but cases all over the world. But the plague bacillus is constantly evolving, and old medicines are not effective. Therefore, although everything, one might say, is under the control of doctors, the threat of catastrophe still exists today. An example of this is the death of a person registered in Madagascar in 2007 from a strain of the plague bacillus, in which 8 types of antibiotics did not help.

SMALLPOX

Historical facts about smallpox

During the Middle Ages, there were not many women who did not have signs of smallpox lesions on their faces (pockmarks), and the rest had to hide the scars under a thick layer of makeup. It influenced fashion excessive hobby cosmetics that have survived to this day. According to philologists, all women today with letter combinations in their surnames “ryab” (Ryabko, Ryabinina, etc.), shadar and often generous (Shchedrins, Shadrins), Koryav (Koryavko, Koryaeva, Koryachko) had ancestors sporting pockmarks (rowans, generous, etc., depending on the dialect). Approximate statistics exist for the 17th-18th centuries and indicate that in Europe alone there were 10 million new smallpox patients, and for 1.5 million of them it was fatal. Thanks to this infection, the white man colonized both Americas. For example, the Spaniards brought smallpox to Mexico in the 16th century, because of which about 3 million of the local population died - the invaders had no one left to fight with.

Origin of the name smallpox

“Smallpox” and “rash” have the same root. In English, smallpox is called smallpox. And syphilis is called a great rash (great pox).

Methods of spread and symptoms of smallpox

After entering the human body, smallpox varionas (Variola major and Variola) lead to the appearance of blisters-pustules on the skin, the places of formation of which then scar, if the person survives, of course. The disease is spreading by airborne droplets, the virus also remains active in scales from the skin of a sick person.

Methods to combat smallpox

The Hindus brought rich gifts to the smallpox goddess Mariatela to appease her. Residents of Japan, Europe and Africa believed in the smallpox demon's fear of the color red: patients had to wear red clothes and be in a room with red walls. In the twentieth century, smallpox began to be treated with antiviral drugs.

Smallpox in modern times

In 1979, WHO officially announced that smallpox completely eradicated thanks to vaccination of the population. But in countries such as the USA and Russia, pathogens are still stored. This is done "for scientific research“, and the question of the complete destruction of these reserves is constantly being postponed. It is possible that North Korea and Iran are secretly storing smallpox virions. Any international conflict could give rise to the use of these viruses as weapons. So it's better to get vaccinated against smallpox.

CHOLERA

Historical facts about cholera

This intestinal infection Until the end of the 18th century, it mostly bypassed Europe and raged in the Ganges Delta. But then there were changes in climate, invasions of European colonialists in Asia, transportation of goods and people improved, and this all changed the situation: in 1817-1961, six cholera pandemics occurred in Europe. The most massive one (the third) took the lives of 2.5 million people.

Origin of the name cholera

The words “cholera” come from the Greek “bile” and “flow” (in reality, all the fluid from the inside flowed out of the patient). The second name for cholera due to the characteristic blue color of the skin of patients is “blue death”.

Methods of spread and symptoms of cholera

Vibrio cholera is a bacterium called Vibrio choleare that lives in water bodies. When it enters the small intestine of a person, it releases enterotoxin, which leads to profuse diarrhea and then vomiting. In severe cases of the disease, the body becomes dehydrated so quickly that the patient dies a few hours after the first symptoms appear.

Methods to combat cholera

They applied samovars or irons to the feet of the sick to warm them, gave them infusions of chicory and malt to drink, and rubbed their bodies. camphor oil. During the epidemic, they believed that it was possible to scare away the disease with a belt made of red flannel or wool. Nowadays, people with cholera are effectively treated with antibiotics, and for dehydration they are given oral fluids or special salt solutions are administered intravenously.

Cholera now

WHO says the world is now in its seventh cholera pandemic, dating back to 1961. So far, it is mostly residents of poor countries who get sick, primarily in South Asia and Africa, where 3-5 million people get sick every year and 100-120 thousand of them do not survive. Also, according to experts, due to global negative changes in the environment, serious problems with clean water will soon arise in developed countries. In addition, global warming will cause cholera outbreaks in nature to appear in more northern regions of the planet. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against cholera.

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Historical facts about typhus

Until the second half of the 19th century centuries, this was the name given to all diseases in which severe fever and confusion in consciousness were observed. Among them, the most dangerous were typhus, typhoid and relapsing fever. Sypnoy, for example, in 1812 almost halved Napoleon’s 600,000-strong army, which invaded Russian territory, which was one of the reasons for his defeat. And a century later, in 1917-1921, 3 million citizens of the Russian Empire died of typhus. Relapsing fever mainly caused grief to the inhabitants of Africa and Asia; in 1917-1918, about half a million people in India alone died from it.

Origin of the name typhus

The name of the disease comes from the Greek “typhos”, which means “fog”, “confused consciousness”.

Methods of spread and symptoms of typhus

Typhus causes small pink rashes on the skin. When the attack returns after the first attack, the patient seems to feel better for 4-8 days, but then the disease knocks him down again. Typhoid fever is an intestinal infection that is accompanied by diarrhea.

The bacteria that cause typhus and relapsing fever are carried by lice, and for this reason, outbreaks of these infections break out in crowded places during humanitarian disasters. When bitten by one of these creatures, it is important not to itch – it is through scratched wounds that the infection enters the blood. Typhoid fever is caused by the Salmonella typhi bacillus, which, when ingested through food and water, leads to damage to the intestines, liver and spleen.

Methods to combat typhus

During the Middle Ages, it was believed that the source of infection was the stench that emanated from the patient. Judges in Britain who had to deal with criminals with typhus wore boutonnieres of strong-smelling flowers as a means of protection, and also distributed them to those who came to court. The benefit from this was only aesthetic. Since the 17th century, attempts have been made to combat typhus with the help of cinchona bark, imported from South America. This is how they treated all diseases that caused fever. Nowadays, antibiotics are quite successful in treating typhus.

Typhoid in now

Relapsing fever and typhus were removed from the WHO list of particularly dangerous diseases in 1970. This happened thanks to active struggle with pediculosis (lice), which was carried out throughout the planet. But typhoid fever continues to cause troubles for people. The most suitable conditions for the development of an epidemic are heat, insufficient drinking water and problems with hygiene. Therefore, the main candidates for the outbreak of typhoid epidemics are Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Reviewed by Ministry of Health specialists every year typhoid fever 20 million people become infected and for 800 thousand of them it is fatal.

LEPROSY

Historical facts about leprosy

Also called leprosy, it is a “slow disease.” Unlike the plague, for example, it did not spread in the form of pandemics, but quietly and gradually conquered space. At the beginning of the 13th century, there were 19 thousand leper colonies in Europe (an institution for isolating lepers and fighting the disease) and the victims were millions. By the beginning of the 14th century, the mortality rate from leprosy had dropped sharply, but hardly because they had learned to treat patients. It’s just that the incubation period for this disease is 2-20 years. Infections like plague and cholera that raged in Europe killed many people even before he was classified as a leper. Thanks to the development of medicine and hygiene, there are now no more than 200 thousand lepers in the world. They mainly live in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Origin of the name leprosy

The name comes from the Greek word “leprosy,” which translates to “a disease that makes the skin scaly.” Leprosy was called in Rus' - from the word “kazit”, i.e. lead to distortion and disfigurement. This disease also has a number of other names, such as Phoenician disease, “lazy death”, Hansen’s disease, etc.

Methods of spread and symptoms of leprosy

It is possible to become infected with leprosy only by long-term contact with the skin of a carrier of the infection, as well as by ingestion of liquid secretions (saliva or from the nose). Then it goes away quite long time(the recorded record is 40 years), after which Hansen's bacillus (Mucobacterium leprae) will first disfigure a person, covering him with spots and growths on the skin, and then make him an invalid rotting alive. Also, the peripheral nervous system is damaged and the patient loses the ability to feel pain. You can take and cut off a part of your body without understanding where it went.

Methods to combat leprosy

During the Middle Ages, lepers were declared dead while they were still alive and placed in leprosariums - a kind of concentration camps, where patients were doomed to a slow death. They tried to treat the infected with solutions that included gold, bloodletting and baths with the blood of giant turtles. Nowadays, this disease can be completely eliminated with the help of antibiotics.

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In November 2017, the British online publication The Independent published an article on the new synthetic biology program of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Advanced Plant Technologies (APT). The military department plans to create genetically modified algae that can act as self-sustaining sensors to collect information in conditions where the use of traditional technologies is impossible. How realistic is this and what is the threat to humanity?

It is assumed that the natural capabilities of plants can be used to discover appropriate chemical substances, harmful microorganisms, radiation and electromagnetic signals. At the same time, changing their genome will allow the military to control the state of the environment and more. This, in turn, will make it possible to remotely monitor the reaction of plants using existing technical means.

Obedient viruses

According to APT program manager Blake Bextine, DARPA's goal in this case is to develop an efficient, reusable system for designing, directly creating and testing various biological platforms with easily adaptable capabilities that can be applied to a wide range of scenarios.

Let us pay tribute to American scientists and the US military department, which is actively promoting the development of synthetic biology. However, we note that significant progress recent years, the intended results of which should be aimed at the benefit of humanity, created and completely new problem, the consequences of which are unpredictable and unpredictable. It turns out that the United States now has the technical ability to construct artificial (synthetic) microorganisms that are not found in natural conditions. This means we are talking about biological weapons (BW) of a new generation.

If we recall, in the last century, intensive US research on the development of biologically active substances was aimed both at obtaining strains of dangerous pathogens infectious diseases a person with altered properties (overcoming specific immunity, polyantibiotic resistance, increased pathogenicity), and on the development of means of their identification and protective measures. As a result, methods for indicating and identifying genetically modified microorganisms have been improved. Schemes for the prevention and treatment of infections caused by natural and modified forms of bacteria have been developed.

The first experiments using recombinant DNA methods and technologies were carried out back in the 70s and were devoted to modifying the genetic code of natural strains by including single genes in their genome that could change the properties of bacteria. This opened up opportunities for scientists to solve such important problems as obtaining biofuels, bacterial electricity, medicines, diagnostic drugs and multidiagnostic platforms, synthetic vaccines, etc. Example successful implementation Such goals are served by the creation of bacteria containing recombinant DNA and producing synthetic insulin.

But there is another side. In 2002, viable polioviruses were artificially synthesized, including one similar to the causative agent of the Spanish flu, which claimed tens of millions of lives in 1918. Although attempts are being made to create effective vaccines based on such artificial strains.

In 2007, scientists from the J. Craig Venter Research Institute (JCVI, USA) were for the first time able to transport the entire genome of one bacterial species (Mycoplasma mycoides) to another (Mycoplasma capricolum) and proved the viability of the new microorganism. To determine the synthetic origin of such bacteria, markers, so-called watermarks, are usually introduced into their genome.

Synthetic biology is an intensively developing field, representing a qualitatively new step in development genetic engineering. From the movement of several genes between organisms to the design and construction of unique biological systems that do not exist in nature with “programmed” functions and properties. Moreover, genomic sequencing and creation of databases of complete genomes of various microorganisms will make it possible to develop modern strategies for DNA synthesis of any microbe in laboratory conditions.

As you know, DNA consists of four bases, the sequence and composition of which determine the biological properties of living organisms. Modern science allows the introduction of “unnatural” bases into the synthetic genome, the functioning of which in the cell is very difficult to program in advance. And such experiments on “inserting” unknown DNA sequences with unknown functions into an artificial genome are already being carried out abroad. Created in the USA, UK and Japan multidisciplinary centers, dealing with issues of synthetic biology, researchers of various specialties work there.

At the same time, it is obvious that when using modern methodological techniques, the likelihood of “accidentally” or intentionally obtaining chimeric bioweapon agents unknown to humanity with a completely new set of pathogenicity factors increases. In this regard, there arises important aspect– ensuring the biological safety of such research. According to a number of experts, synthetic biology is a field of activity with high risks associated with the construction of new viable microorganisms. It cannot be ruled out that life forms created in the laboratory can escape from the test tube and become biological, and this will threaten existing natural diversity.

The fact that, unfortunately, another one is not reflected in publications on synthetic biology issues deserves special attention. important problem, namely maintaining the stability of the artificially created bacterial genome. Microbiologists are well aware of the phenomenon of spontaneous mutations due to changes or loss (deletion) of a particular gene in the genome of bacteria and viruses, which lead to changes in the properties of the cell. However, under natural conditions, the frequency of occurrence of such mutations is low and the genome of microorganisms is characterized by relative stability.

The evolutionary process has shaped the diversity of the microbial world over thousands of years. Today, the entire classification of families, genera and species of bacteria and viruses is based on the stability of genetic sequences, which allows their identification and determines specific biological properties. They were the starting point for the creation of such modern methods diagnostics, such as determining the protein or fatty acid profiles of microorganisms using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry or chromo-mass spectrometry, identifying DNA sequences specific to each microbe using PCR analysis, etc. At the same time, the stability of the synthetic genome of “chimeric” microbes is currently unknown, and it is impossible to predict how much we were able to “deceive” nature and evolution. Therefore, it is very difficult to predict the consequences of accidental or intentional penetration of such artificial microorganisms outside laboratories. Even if the created microbe is “harmless,” its release into the world under completely different conditions from the laboratory can lead to increased mutability and the formation of new variants with unknown, possibly aggressive properties. A clear illustration of this point is the creation of the artificial bacterium synthia.

Death on tap

Cynthia (Mycoplasma laboratorium) is a laboratory-bred synthetic strain of mycoplasma. It is capable of independent reproduction and was intended, as stated in foreign media, to eliminate the consequences of an oil disaster in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico by absorbing pollution.

In 2011, bacteria were released into the oceans to destroy oil spills that pose a threat to the Earth's ecology. This rash and poorly calculated decision soon turned into dire consequences - microorganisms got out of control. There were reports of a terrible disease, which journalists called the blue plague and which caused the extinction of fauna in the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, all publications that caused panic among the population belong to periodicals, while scientific publications prefer to remain silent. Currently, there is no direct scientific evidence (or it is deliberately hidden) that the unknown fatal disease is caused by Cynthia. However, there is no smoke without fire, so the proposed versions of the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico require close attention and study.

It is assumed that in the process of absorbing petroleum products, Cynthia changed and expanded her nutritional needs, including proteins of animal origin in her “diet.” Getting into microscopic wounds on the body of fish and other marine animals, it spreads through the bloodstream to all organs and systems, literally corroding everything in its path in a short time. In just a few days skin seals are covered with ulcers, constantly bleeding, and then completely rot. Alas, there were reports of fatal cases of the disease (with the same symptom complex) and people who swam in the Gulf of Mexico.

An important point is the fact that in the case of Cynthia, the disease cannot be treated with known antibiotics, since in addition to the “watermarks”, genes for resistance to antibacterial drugs were introduced into the bacterial genome. The latter raises surprises and questions. Why would a saprophytic microbe, incapable of causing diseases in humans and animals, initially need antibiotic resistance genes?

In this regard, the silence of official representatives and authors of this infection looks strange, to say the least. According to some experts, the true scale of the tragedy is being concealed at the government level. It has also been suggested that if synthia is used we're talking about on the use of broad-spectrum bacteriological weapons that pose a threat of an intercontinental epidemic. At the same time, in order to dispel panic and rumors, the United States has the entire arsenal of modern methods for identifying microorganisms, and determining the etiological agent of this unknown infection is not difficult. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this is the result of the direct impact of oil on a living organism, although the symptoms of the disease are more indicative of its infectious nature. Nevertheless, the question, we repeat, requires clarity.

It is natural to be concerned about the uncontrolled research of many Russian and foreign scientists. To reduce the risk, several directions are proposed - introducing personal responsibility for developments with non-programmable results, increasing scientific literacy at the level of professional training, and widely informing the public about the achievements of synthetic biology through the media. But is the community ready to follow these rules? For example, removal of pathogen spores from a US laboratory anthrax and their mailing in envelopes calls into question the effectiveness of control. Moreover, taking into account modern capabilities, the availability of databases of genetic sequences of bacteria, including pathogens especially dangerous infections, DNA synthesis techniques, techniques for creating artificial microbes. It cannot be ruled out that hackers will gain unauthorized access to this information and then sell it to interested parties.

As the experience of “launching” Cynthia into natural conditions shows, all the proposed measures turn out to be ineffective and do not guarantee the biological safety of the environment. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that there may be long-term environmental consequences of the introduction of an artificial microorganism into nature.

The proposed control measures - widespread media notification and strengthening the ethical responsibility of researchers when creating artificial forms of microorganisms - do not yet inspire optimism. It seems most effective legal regulation biological safety of synthetic life forms and their monitoring systems at the international and national levels according to new system risk assessment, which should include a comprehensive, experimentally evidence-based study of the consequences in the field of synthetic biology. Possible solution there may also be the creation of an international expert council to assess the risks of using its products.

The analysis shows that science has reached completely new frontiers and has posed unexpected problems. Until now, schemes for the indication and identification of dangerous agents have been aimed at their detection based on the identification of specific antigenic or genetic markers. But when creating chimeric microorganisms with different pathogenicity factors, these approaches are ineffective.

Moreover, currently developed schemes for specific and emergency prevention and etiotropic therapy of dangerous infections may also turn out to be useless, since they are designed, even if modified versions are used, for a known pathogen.

Humanity, unknowingly, has embarked on the path of biological warfare with unknown consequences. There may not be any winners in this war.

The Cynthia bacterium (Mycoplasma laboratorium) is a strain of mycoplasma capable of independent reproduction, bred in the laboratory using gene transplantation. The synthetic type was intended to destroy the consequences of an oil spill in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico by absorbing it into bacteria.

But something went wrong... The American media screams in the news about the terrible deaths of birds, fish and other marine life, whose internal organs and skin have literally rotted, corroded by unknown microorganisms.

Not only animals became victims of the terrible incurable disease. Human deaths have also been recorded. The epidemic began precisely in the Gulf of Mexico area, which leaves no doubt about who the culprit is: Cynthia.

The Birth of Cynthia, or the Minimal Genome Project

The essence was to isolate from mycoplasma 381 genes that are minimal for the life support of a cell using the synthesis of a DNA chromosome sequence. As soon as a chromosome carrying a minimal set of genes was synthesized, it was immediately transplanted into Mycoplasma genitalium, hoping that by dividing the mycoplasma would reproduce cells with an artificial set of DNA.

In 2010, the creation of Mycoplasma laboratorium, consisting of 1 million base pairs (pairs of identical RNA or opposite DNA) synthesized from scratch, Mycoplasma mycoides, transplanted into Mycoplasma capricolum, was officially patented. After the genome was inserted, the new species became capable of reproduction.

Bacteria testing in the bay

The news of the creation of a safe biological ocean cleaner from oil pollution has spread all over the world.

In 2011, it was decided to release bacteria into the World Ocean to destroy oil spills that pose a threat to the ecology of the entire earth. The bacteria fed exclusively on oil, which became the source of pride for its creators.

But soon terrible consequences appeared - microorganisms got out of control. There were reports of a terrible disease, called by journalists the “Blue Plague,” which caused the extinction of a huge number of birds, fish, and animals living in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Blue Plague"

According to unproven data, the Cynthia bacterium stopped feeding on Gulf of Mexico oil, switching to more “tasty” food. Getting into microscopic wounds on the body of animals, it spreads through the bloodstream to all organs and systems, literally corroding everything in its path in a short time.

In just a few days, the skin of the seals became covered with ulcers, constantly bleeding, and then almost completely rotted. The affected areas depicted in the photo cannot but evoke disgust, but at the same time compassion for animals. Also, during examinations of the dead, ulcers and blackening on internal organs were discovered.

Information has emerged that the bacteria have switched to people. Diseases were recorded among local residents who swam in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to death.

Looking at photos of people's limbs on initial stage illness, you can notice red blisters on the affected areas, like burn marks - the first symptom of a multiplying infection. Blisters are very painful. Timely treatment, namely surgical scraping of the affected areas, can save you from amputation.

There is no cure for Cynthia’s bacteria; not a single antibiotic works on her, so death is inevitable. Once in a tiny wound, it begins to multiply with amazing speed.

The only way out is gas gangrene, - amputate the affected area, preventing the infection from spreading further. Otherwise, infected internal organs begin to bleed, and the person dies from internal hemorrhage.

On the coast of the bay it often washes up strange, tarry-looking balls. Judging by the photos presented, they are brown, about the size of quail egg. This is the result of the release of oil deposits that contain the culprits of infection.

The balls should absolutely not be touched or broken. By destroying red blood cells, they can cause bleeding - ear, vaginal, rectal, nasal, especially in women and children. But is Cynthia really the culprit of this terrible incurable disease, and is the disease really so new?

Necrotizing fasciitis

A disease similar in its course and symptoms to the “Blue Plague” is called necrotizing fasciitis. It is caused by bacteria that have long been known to everyone - Streptococci, namely Streptococcus pyogenes, as well as Clostridia (Clostridium perfringens).

Microorganisms affect subcutaneous tissue, corroding the flesh, causing rotting, why does a person dies. Quite often outbreaks of the disease are recorded, which may indicate Cynthia’s innocence.

Points for and against

The scientists who created the bacterium Mycoplasma laboratorium unanimously claim that the bred bacterium is capable of feeding only on oil, which is a product of plant origin.

Cynthia simply cannot digest animal protein, which may indicate her innocence. Just as it removes responsibility from its creators, and also makes the government innocent, which allowed the release of bacteria into the World Ocean, which gradually spreads them throughout the planet.

It would seem that everything is logical, unless the bacterium, capable of accelerated reproduction and not dying from the action of antibiotics, acquired new abilities and characteristics through the process of mutation, and learned to feed on animal organisms.

The demonstrative swimming of the American president and his family in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, in a place significantly distant from the accumulation of the Cynthia bacterium, does not guarantee that it is not the causative agent of the terrible plague. Local residents are prone to panic, many even moved to a safer place of residence.

Massive fish kill in the New Orleans area, death of a huge number of birds in Arkansas. The same symptoms and external signs indicate the spread of infection: blood clots indicating ruptures of blood vessels and internal organs, abdominal bleeding. There have been news reports of sternum injuries in birds, as well as an unknown toxin allegedly causing their deaths, which is hard to believe.