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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Microbiology Spectrum

Co-occurrence of Yersinia pestis and a lytic bacteriophage in brain tissue of Eothenomys miletus

  • Dongyue Lyu1
  • Chao Su2
  • Zhengliang Chai1
  • Ennian Pu2
  • Ziyi Bu3
  • Jingdong Song4
  • Shuai Qin1
  • Ran Duan1
  • Linxuan Yang1
  • Zhuowei Li1
  • Meng Xiao1
  • Zhaokai He5
6 more authors
  • Deming Tang6
  • Peng Zhang1
  • Lianxu Xia1
  • Huaiqi Jing1
  • Xin Wang1
  • Zihou Gao2
6 affiliations
  1. 1National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
  2. 2Yunnan Institute for Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, Dali, Yunnan, China
  3. 3Anhui Medical University Clinic Medical College, Hefei City, Anhui, China
  4. 4National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
  5. 5Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, China
  6. 6Dongcheng Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Emergency Management Innovation Center, Beijing, China
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Abstract

We surveyed plague in the Apodemus chevrieri–Eothenomys miletus natural plague focus on the Yunnan Plateau, China. From 2023 to 2025, plague-positive E. miletus were detected in Gaomei, Xiaomachang, and Tangshang. In the brain tissue of an E. miletus carcass, both Yersinia pestis and a Yersinia pestis-specific bacteriophage (YN2024) were simultaneously isolated, and their simultaneous presence was observed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This observation was supported by previous analysis of a similar co-occurrence of Y. pestis and bacteriophage from the Marmota himalayana plague focus. After 72 h of in vitro liquid culture, TEM imaging revealed multiple morphological stages that were indicative of interaction, including intact bacteria, bacteria enveloped internally and externally with phages, lysed bacteria, and numerous released phages. These findings suggest that such co-occurrence may be a recurring phenomenon across different plague foci, as it has now been observed in two distinct ecosystems. Genomic analysis demonstrated that the phage YN2024 exhibited a high degree of homology with the phage AKS2021-55F0913 from the M. himalayana plague focus (average nucleotide identity, 96.94%). A comparison of growth curves indicated that the lytic capacity of phage AKS2021-55F0913 was stronger than that of phage YN2024.

IMPORTANCE: Overall, our findings support the recognition of an ecologically connected Apodemus chevrieri–Eothenomys miletus natural plague focus and also provide a basis for understanding the co-occurrence of Yersinia pestis and its phage in natural hosts across multiple foci. The observed ecological linkage among plague foci previously attributed to different administrative regions highlights the importance of considering ecological connectivity in plague surveillance and control. In addition, these findings may contribute to a better understanding of host-phage interactions involving Y. pestis under natural conditions and may inform future phage-related studies in plague research.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lyu2026cooccurrence,
  title = {{Co-occurrence of Yersinia pestis and a lytic bacteriophage in brain tissue of Eothenomys miletus}},
  author = {Dongyue Lyu and Chao Su and Zhengliang Chai and Ennian Pu and Ziyi Bu and Jingdong Song and Shuai Qin and Ran Duan and Linxuan Yang and Zhuowei Li and Meng Xiao and Zhaokai He and Deming Tang and Peng Zhang and Lianxu Xia and Huaiqi Jing and Xin Wang and Zihou Gao},
  journal = {Microbiology Spectrum},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1128/spectrum.03461-25},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03461-25},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Co-occurrence of Yersinia pestis and a lytic bacteriophage in brain tissue of Eothenomys miletus
AU  - Dongyue Lyu
AU  - Chao Su
AU  - Zhengliang Chai
AU  - Ennian Pu
AU  - Ziyi Bu
AU  - Jingdong Song
AU  - Shuai Qin
AU  - Ran Duan
AU  - Linxuan Yang
AU  - Zhuowei Li
AU  - Meng Xiao
AU  - Zhaokai He
AU  - Deming Tang
AU  - Peng Zhang
AU  - Lianxu Xia
AU  - Huaiqi Jing
AU  - Xin Wang
AU  - Zihou Gao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
JO  - Microbiology Spectrum
DO  - 10.1128/spectrum.03461-25
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03461-25
AB  - We surveyed plague in the Apodemus chevrieri–Eothenomys miletus natural plague focus on the Yunnan Plateau, China. From 2023 to 2025, plague-positive E. miletus were detected in Gaomei, Xiaomachang, and Tangshang. In the brain tissue of an E. miletus carcass, both Yersinia pestis and a Yersinia pestis-specific bacteriophage (YN2024) were simultaneously isolated, and their simultaneous presence was observed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This observation was supported by previous analysis of a similar co-occurrence of Y. pestis and bacteriophage from the Marmota himalayana plague focus. After 72 h of in vitro liquid culture, TEM imaging revealed multiple morphological stages that were indicative of interaction, including intact bacteria, bacteria enveloped internally and externally with phages, lysed bacteria, and numerous released phages. These findings suggest that such co-occurrence may be a recurring phenomenon across different plague foci, as it has now been observed in two distinct ecosystems. Genomic analysis demonstrated that the phage YN2024 exhibited a high degree of homology with the phage AKS2021-55F0913 from the M. himalayana plague focus (average nucleotide identity, 96.94%). A comparison of growth curves indicated that the lytic capacity of phage AKS2021-55F0913 was stronger than that of phage YN2024.  IMPORTANCE: Overall, our findings support the recognition of an ecologically connected Apodemus chevrieri–Eothenomys miletus natural plague focus and also provide a basis for understanding the co-occurrence of Yersinia pestis and its phage in natural hosts across multiple foci. The observed ecological linkage among plague foci previously attributed to different administrative regions highlights the importance of considering ecological connectivity in plague surveillance and control. In addition, these findings may contribute to a better understanding of host-phage interactions involving Y. pestis under natural conditions and may inform future phage-related studies in plague research.
SN  - 2165-0497
ER  -