The Implantation and Transmission of Plague Culture by the Five Plague Gods in Shuilu Murals

The Five Plague Gods(五瘟神) in the Shuilu(水陆) murals from the Ming and Qing dynasties exemplify a distinctive manifestation of plague gods image developed under the pedigree of Taoist gods.As a significant system for expelling disasters in Shuilu,the depiction of the Five Plague Gods prominently merges human beings and livestock.This shape form to a large extent,draws on the image of Nuo(傩),a figure reflecting an imagination of the host of plague pathogens.In terms of the numbers of gods,it aligns with the conceptual framework of Wu Xing(五行 the five elements),a foundational principle in traditional Chinese medicine.The internal cultural connection highlights the means of plague prevention and control in China,as well as the external reflection of plague culture.Through multi-dimensional interpretations with the double proof method,this article dissects the formation,core elements,and cultural characteristics of the beliefs in the Five Plague Gods reflected in the Shuilu murals,and transcends mere visual semantics,offering a deeper understanding of these complex cultural symbols.

Mapping the Child’s Grey Interior:Authenticity of Plague Narrative in The Great Plague

The Great Plague:The Diary of Alice Paynton,London 1665-1666 adopts the realistic painting style and direct writing to the painful experience,describes the situation of the Great Plague in London truly from the perspective of children,and breaks people’s cognitive expectation of children’s literature,the construction of children’s Gray inner world is completed behind the true description of the Great Plague in London with the true brushwork,which presents a different world of childlike innocence.Despite the importance of epidemics writing in literature,the child’s diary perspective of them is one of the least developed of Plague Narrative.Only when authenticity and the child’s grey interior are integrated will we reveal a true picture of society as it was.

The Historical and Current Characteristics of“Plague Writing”-Rereading Chi Zijian’s Novel White Snow Crow in the Post Epidemic Era

Chi Zijian’s novel White Snow Crow is about the pestis in Northeast China from the autumn and winter of 1910 to the spring of 1911,focusing on the living conditions of people in Fujiadian,Harbin,under the shadow of the pestis,and thus connects the vicissitudes of Harbin in the development of modern Chinese history.Re-reading this novel in the context of the post-epidemic era not only allows us to immerse ourselves in the specific temporal and spatial fields described in the text with an immersive reading mindset,feel the heavy impact that the disaster has brought to the people of Northeast China,but also provide us with a different perspective to observe the current social reality.In particular,the social problems shown by the novel through the pestis and the description of ordinary people’s life experience under the plague still deserve further discussion.

Cloning and Sequence of Glycoprotein H Gene of Duck Plague Virus

The glycoprotein H （gH） gene homologue of duck plague virus （DPV） was cloned by degenerate polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and sequenced. It was located immediately downstream from the thymidine kinase gene （TK）. In addition, the 3＇-end of the gene homologue to herpesvirus UL21 was located downstream from the gH gene. DPV gH gene open reading frame （ORF） was 2 505 bp in length and its primary translation product was a polypeptide of 834 amino acids long. It possessed several characteristics of membrane glycoproteins, including an N-terminal hydrophobic signal sequence, an external domain containing eight putative N-linked glycosylation sites, a C-terminal transmembrane domain, and a charged cytoplasmic tail. Comparison with other herpesvirus revealed identities of 20.2, 25.1, 23.0, 23.0, 26.5 and 26.0% with the gH counterparts of the human herpesvirus virus 1 （HSV1）, equine herpesvirus 4 （EHV4）, bovine herpesvirus 1 （BHV1）, pseudorabies virus （PRV）, gallid herpesvirus 2 （GHV2） and gallid herpesvirus 3 （GHV3）, respectively.

Cloning of Thymidine Kinase Gene of Duck Plague Virus Using Degenerate PCR

The DNA of duck plague virus （DPV） thymidine kinase （TK） gene was cloned and sequenced from a vaccine virus in the study. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers for the consensus site of herpesvirus UL24, TK, and glycoprotein H（gH） gene were used in the polymerase chain reaction （PCR） to amplify DNA product with 3 741-base-pairs （bp） in size. DNA sequence analysis revealed a 1 077-base-pairs （bp） open reading frame （ORF） encoding a 358 amino acid polypeptide homologous to herpesvirus TK proteins. The predicted TK protein shared 31.2, 41.3, 35.7, 37.4, and 28.4% identity with herpes simplex virus typel, equine herpesvirus type 4, Marek＇s disease virus 2, herpesvirus turkey, and infectious laryngotracheitis virus, respectively. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of other herpesvirus TK proteins showed that these proteins were not conserved on the whole, otherwise the portion of the TK proteins corresponding to the nucleotide binding domain and the nucleoside binding site were highly conserved among herpesvirus. Comparison with the amino acid sequences of the conserved nucleotide and nucleoside binding domains of other eleven herpesvirus TK proteins to the predicted DPV peptide confirmed its identity as the DPV TK protein.

Role of duck plague virus glycoprotein C in viral adsorption:Absence of specific interactions with cell surface heparan sulfate

Many mammalian herpes viruses utilize heparan sulfate （HS） moieties present on cell surface proteoglycans as receptors for cell entry, and this process also requires viral glycoprotein C （gC） homologues. However, our understanding of the role of gC in facilitating attachment of other alpha-herpes viruses such as the duck plague virus （DPV） remains preliminary. To study the role of gC during DPV infection, we used a gC-deleted mutant virus （DPV-AgC-EGFP）. Examination of the viral copy number by real-time PCR, as well as time course studies of viral adsorption and proliferation revealed that gC was involved in the viral binding to the cell surface. The affinity of viral glycoproteins （gB-DPV, gC-DPV, and gE-DPV） to HS was assessed using a prokaryotic expression system and HJTrapTM HeparJn HP column chromatography. In addition, to confirm that gC played a role in the interaction between DPV and HS, viruses were treated with the HS analogue heparin and host cells were treated with its inhibitors heparinase prior to exposure to DPV-△gC-EGFP or wild-type strain Chinese virulent duck plague virus （DPV-CHv）. The effects of heparin and heparinase on virus infectivity demonstrated that function of gC on Viral adsorption is independent of interactions between gC and heparin sulfate on cell surface. All in all, this study demonstrated that the gC of DPV can mediate viral adsorption in an HS-independent manner, which distinguish it from the gC of some other alpha-herpes viruses. Future studies will be required to identify the receptors involved in gC protein binding to cells. This work provides us a foundation for further studies of examining the roles of gC in the adsorption during duck plague virus infection.

Backcalculation of the disease-age specific frequency of secondary transmission of primary pneumonic plague

The purpose of the paper was to assess the frequency of secondary transmissions of primary pneumonic plague relative to the onset of fever.A simple backcalculation method was employed to estimate the frequency of secondary transmissions relative to disease-age.A likelihood-based procedure was taken using observed distributions of the serial interval(n = 177) and incubation period(n = 126).Furthermore,an extended model was developed to account for the survival probability of cases.The simple backcalculation suggested that 31. 0%(95%confidence intervals(CI):11.6,50.4) and 28.0%(95%CI:10.2,45.8) of the total number of secondary transmissions had occurred at second and third days of the disease,respectively,and more than four-fifths of the secondary transmission occurred before the end of third day of disease.The survivorship-adjusted frequency of secondary transmissions was obtained,demonstrating that the infectiousness in later stages of illness was not insignificant and indicates that the obtained frequencies were likely biased on underlying factors including isolation measures.In conclusion,the simple exercise suggests a need to implement countermeasures during pre-clinical stage or immediately after onset.Further information is needed to elucidate the finer details of the disease-age specific infectiousness.

Are local plague endemicity and ecological characteristics of vectors and reservoirs related? A case study in north-east Tanzania

The pattern of plague endemicity in Tanzania is characterized by continuous re-appearance of the disease in some locations, while in other neighbouring villages the disease has never or seldom been observed. To understand the reasons for this pattern, we studied small mammal and flea species composition, diversity and relative abundances in two plague-endemic and two plague-free locations. We asked （a） whether fleas more abundant in plague-endemic locations differ in their characteristic abundance and the degree of their host specificity from fleas more abundant in plague-free locations and （b） whether hosts most abundant in p/ague-endemic locations differ in the diversity of their flea assemblages from hosts most abundant in p/ague-free locations. We characterized （a） each host species by species richness and degree of taxonomic relatedness of its flea assemblages and （b） each flea species by its mean abundance and size, and degree of taxonomic relatedness of its host spectrum and compared their relative abundances between locations. No significant difference between plague-endemic and plague-free locations in either host density or any variable related to flea abundance or diversity was found. However, there was marginally significant effect of taxonomic distinctness of a flea assemblage barboured by a host on its probability to be more abundant in either plague-endemic or plague-free locations. Furthermore, hosts more abundant in plague-endemic locations tended to harbour closely-related fleas. Finally, while opportunistic and specialist fleas were equally distributed in both sets of locations, fleas exploiting distantly-related hosts were found mainly in plague-free locations during the rainy season. We suggest that the observed patterns might arise due to seasonal and spatial differences in local microclimatic conditions and landscape connectivity [ Current Zoology 55 （3） ： 200 - 211, 2009].

Tolerance of disturbance by humans in long-time resident and recent colonist urban doves

Background: A critical trait for successful urban dwelling by birds is the ability to tolerate high levels of disturbing stimulation by humans. If such tolerance is partly acquired gradually after colonization, species with a long history of residence in cities are likely to be more tolerant of such stimulation than recent urban colonists, but this has not often been tested.Methods: We tested whether introduced Rock(Columba livia) and Spotted(Streptopelis chinensis) Doves, historically long-term residents of Melbourne, Australia, were more tolerant of disturbance by humans than the very recent colonist, the native Crested Pigeon(Ochyphaps lophotes) by comparing the Flight Initiation Distances(FID) and time allocations to vigilance during foraging of all three species in urban Melbourne. That all three species are members of the Columbiformes reduces the possibility that any species differences in tolerance are simply phylogenetic in origin.Results: Flight initiation distance was shorter in Rock Doves than in the other two species, which did not differ in approachability by a human. Rock Doves retreated from an approaching human mainly by walking a relatively short distance, Crested Pigeons mainly by running a relatively short distance and Spotted Doves primarily by flying a comparatively long distance. The time allocation to anti-predator vigilance of Rock Doves was smaller than that of the other two species, whose allocations were similar.Conclusions: The very recent colonist of eastern Melbourne, the Crested Pigeon, was not the least tolerant of disturbance by humans of the three related species. Natural selection for tolerance therefore probably cannot entirely explain the pattern of tolerance evident among these urban dove species and behavioural flexibility is probably involved. Length of residency in a city is not an infallible guide to a species' level of tolerance of disturbance by humans.

The Development of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Procedure for Plague Diagnostic

Plague caused by Yersinia pestis is one of the infectious diseases subject to the International Health Regulations (IHR). Permanent monitoring of the focal plague areas is mandatory in order to enable prompt control measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Therefore, the availability of efficient diagnosis tests is of paramount importance. Here, we describe a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based procedure for rapid Y. pestis detection. We constructed a set of LAMP primers, which were used in assays to establish the reaction conditions that would lead to the quick visualization of the results by evaluating the test tube with the naked eye. The primers were specifically designed to target the caf1 gene located on pFra/Tox (pMT), a prototypical plasmid of Y. pestis. The LAMP procedure was performed at 65°C for 45 min in a water bath and allowed for the detection of at least 10 pg of bacterial DNA. Due to its simplicity, specificity, sensitivity and rapidity, the LAMP technique is an additional tool that may be implemented in routine plague diagnoses, especially in emergencies.

The Taxonomic Status of Spermophilus in the Plague Area of Dingbian County,Shaanxi Province,China

This study was conducted to define the taxonomic status of Spermophilus in the plague area of Dingbian County in Shaanxi Province,China,through the two-factor variance analysis of morphological characteristics,DNA barcoding,and chromosome karyotype analysis.

Epidemiologic analysis of a previous outbreak of bubonic plague:The first identified outbreak with bacteriological confirmation in Kobe and Osaka,Japan

Objective:To characterize the case fatality and estimate the symptomatic period of bubonic plague.Methods: Epidemiologic analyses of a previous outbreak of plague in Osaka and Kobe,two major port cities in Japan, from 1899-1900 were performed.In addition to date of onset of symptoms,gender,age and the date of death were extracted from the historical data.The time from onset to death(symptomatic period) was fitted to gamma distribution using the maximum likelihood method.Results:Temporal distribution revealed suspected chains of transmission of the primary pneumonic plague at the late stage of the outbreak.The case fatality of bubonic plague without specific treatment was 83.4%,and the mean time from onset to death was estimated as 4.7 days(95%confidence interval;4.0,5.5).Conclusion:Case fatality of bubonic plague without specific treatment was extremely high.The symptomatic period of bubonic plague appeared to be longer than that of pneumonic plague.

Drivers of nest survival rate in a southern Tunisian population of Laughing Doves(Spilopelia senegalensis)

Background:Investigating the ecological factors and processes shaping nest survival is of great importance for assessing the breeding success of bird populations and understanding their spatio-temporal dynamics.Here,this question is addressed for the Laughing Dove(Spilopelia senegalensis),an expanding Afro-tropical bird in the Tunisian oasis habitat.Methods:This study took place in Kettana oasis,in south-eastern Tunisia.Natural Laughing Dove nests were searched for and monitored by means of regular visits,from the discovery date until the end of the breeding attempt(i.e.fledging or failure).Data were then used to investigate the relevance of laying date,nest age(days after clutch initiation),nest height and vegetation structure in the close nest tree environment as predictors of daily nest survival rate,using logistic-exposure models that accounted for heterogeneity in monitoring period among the studied nests.Models including different combinations of covariates were ranked according to their AICc scores,and the modelaveraging technique was used for the assessment of the effects of covariates on daily nest survival rate.Results:Vegetation structure in the close nest tree environment and nest age provided important predictors of daily nest survival rate,whereas neither nest height nor laying date showed significant effects.Daily nest survival rate was negatively associated with the presence of date palm trees in the close nest tree environment,but it was positively related to nest age.Daily nest survival rate was higher during the post-hatching stage than during the pre-hatching stage.Conclusions:Nests placed on fruit trees close to clumps of palm trees suffered higher predation risks compared to those placed on fruit trees situated far from palm trees.This is probably because palm tree clumps provided refuges for nest predators,notably the Black Rat(Rattus rattus)which has been reported to be the main nest predator in the oasis habitat.The predatory activity of this rodent seemed more directed against eggs than nestlings,which may explain the observed increase in daily survival rate with nest age.

Understanding the prevention and cure of plagues in Daoist medicine

Daoist medicine,a special form of traditional Chinese medicine with distinct Daoist styles,has played an important role in the history of plague control in ancient China.Emerged from the pandemics at the end of the Han Dynasty(146 C.E.-220 C.E.),Daoism,the native Chinese religion,has always had a religious mission to end the spread of plagues;thus,it has actively participated in treating plagues through various techniques of medicine and religion.In the practice of plague treatment for thousands of years,Daoist medicine has developed a special etiology of plague that includes Qi-based theories(Qi is considered to be the force that informs and animates all things in Daoism,thus,plague is also considered to be caused by specific and hazardous Qi.)and worm-based theories,forming a strategy of plague control that includes prevention before an epidemic,active treatment during the epidemic,and recovery after the epidemic;these developed plague prevention methods combine isolation,disinfection,and drug use.Additionally,it is the first to practice a primitive immunoprophylaxis method that uses tissues and secretions of infected persons and animals to infect healthy individuals to gain disease immunity.It has formed a plague treatment method mainly based on drug treatment and ritual treatment,supplemented by acupuncture and physical treatment.It has left behind many effective drugs and prescriptions for plague treatment,some of which have a wide clinical application.Hence,Daoist medicine has made great contributions to plague control in Chinese history.Its strategies,methods,medicines,and prescriptions for plague control still have considerable theoretical and application today,especially in the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.

Overview of the plague in the late Ming Dynasty and its prevention and control measures

The plague of the late Ming Dynasty(15511644 C.E.)was long lasting,affected a wide range of the population,and had serious consequences.The purpose of this study is to review the medical system in place at the time and the measures instituted to prevent and control the plague during the late Ming Dynasty.Information on the history of the Ming Dynasty(13681644 C.E.),local chronicles,and related research literature were consulted and analyzed in terms of duration,geographical area,and other dimensions of the epidemic.Because of the abnormal climate,wide range of natural disasters,and the impact of war,the epidemic spread over a wide area during the late Ming Dynasty.The government’s epidemic prevention measures were affected by war and other factors,resulting in poor control of the outbreak.However,in terms of the medical system in place during the Ming Dynasty,some of the thinking and methods of prevention and control of the plague were historical and progressive.Some outstanding physicians such as Wu Youke(15821652 C.E.)appeared during this period.His theory of plague prevention and control had a profound influence on the formation and development of pestilence deterrence in later generations.In the late Ming Dynasty,rich experiences and measures of prevention and control were accumulated in the struggle against the plague.These methods and experiences also have a significant,positive guiding influence on the prevention and control of plague in the present day.

The Manchurian Plague and the International Plague Conference:Revisiting Wu Lien-Teh

The Manchurian plague from the winter of 1910 to the spring of 1911 was the worst epidemic in modern China, and the ensuing International Plague Conference marked the first international medical conference hosted by China. There was a close connection between these two historical events, and Wu Lien-Teh 伍连德, later extolled as the "pioneer of modern medicine in China," played a significant role in each. Despite a multitude of treatises discussing the Manchurian plague and the International Plague Conference, as well as biographical articles on the undertakings of Wu, there remains a gap in the research of Wu’s relation with these two historical events, which is worth further exploration. In addition to the key role and significance of Wu in the entire epidemic fight, the first section of this article analyzes whether the common portrayal of Wu as an obscure, local doctor transformed overnight into a Manchurian plague fighter is accurate. Through an analysis of the conference minutes, the second section focuses on how Wu used "conference diplomacy" to mitigate the neighboring powers’ attempts to achieve their political goals by leveraging this international conference.

Stability Analysis of Bubonic Plague Model with the Causing Pathogen Yersinia pestis in the Environment

Bubonic plague is a serious bacterial disease, mainly transmitted to human beings and rodents through flea bite. However, the disease may also be transmitted upon the interaction with the infected materials or surfaces in the environment. In this study, a deterministic model for bubonic plague disease with Yersinia pestis in the environment is developed and analyzed. Conditions for existence and stability of the equilibrium points are established. Using Jacobian method disease free equilibrium (DFE) point, E0 was proved to be locally asymptotically stable. The Metzler matrix method was used to prove that the DFE was globally asymptotically stable when R0 < 1. By applying Lyapunov stability theory and La Salles invariant principle, we prove that the endemic equilibrium point of system is globally asymptotically stable when R0 > 1. Numerical simulations are done to verify the analytical predictions. The results show that bubonic plague can effectively be controlled or even be eradicated if efforts are made to ensure that there are effective and timely control strategies.

Research on Prevention and Control Technology of Grassland Locust Plague in Hami City, Xinjiang

Hami City is the main locust plague area in Xinjiang.In the past,chemical pesticide control of locusts was mainly adopted,which not only cost a lot of manpower,material and financial resources,but also killed natural enemies of locusts and other insects due to the extensive use of chemical pesticides.As a result,the natural ecological environment of grassland was damaged and polluted to varying degrees,while the grassland ecosystem was deteriorating day by day.Since 2004,the prevention and control of grassland locusts has been carried out by chicken herding,duck herding,nesting for attracting birds,as well as biological and plant pesticides.In particular,the proportion of rosy starling control technology in grassland locust control has increased year by year,and the grassland ecosystem has recovered significantly.

Analysis on the medication and methods of ancient traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention of plague

Background:To analyze the medication and methods of ancient traditional Chinese medicine for the prevention of plague and seasonal pathogen in order to reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as flu and protect the susceptible people.Methods:Search the medication and the methods for preventing plague and seasonal pathogen in the Chinese Medical Code,classify and summarize the methods,perform frequency analysis and efficacy cluster analysis on Chinese medicines of involved medicines.Results:The methods of preventing ancient plague were as follows:burning and fumigating Chinese medicines,medicating nostrils,wearing bags filled with Chinese medicines,oral Chinese medicines and applying medicines to skin.The 3 main ways for drugs to work were external medication,nostril inhalation,and internal absorption.The Chinese medicines for preventing plague are mostly warm in nature and pungent in flavour,belonging to the spleen,stomach,liver,lung meridian.The 3 categories of drugs obtained by cluster analysis are C1:drugs for facilitating lung,relieving exterior and dissipating cold,such as Cangzhu(Atractylodis rhizoma)-Qianghuo(Notopterygh rhizoma et radix)-Xixin(Asari radix et rhizoma)-Baizhi(Angelicae dahuricae radix)-Fangfeng(Saposhnikoviae radix)-Zaojiao(Gleditsiae sinensis fructus);C2:drugs for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis,such as Xionghuang(Realgar)-Zhusha(Cinnabaris)-Dahuang(Rhei radix rhizoma)-Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong rhizoma)-Jiegeng(Platycodonis radix);C3:drugs for replenishing Qi(it is the most basic element that constitutes human body and maintains life activities in traditional Chinese medicine)and tonifying the spleen,such as Gancao(Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma)-Dazao(Jujubae fructus)-Ganjiang(Zingiberis rhizoma)-Rougui(Cinnamomi cortex)-Gansong(Nardostachyos radix et rhizoma)-Chenpi(Citri reticulatae pericarpium)-Baizhu(Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma).Conclusion:Through analysis the medication and methods of ancient traditional Chinese medicine for the prevention of plague,we can provide reference for modern research from the original plague prevention methods,and make an important contribution to the use of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of epidemic infectious diseases in modern clinic.

Genotyping of strains of Yersinia pestis from Marmota baibacina-Spermophilus undulates Plague Focus of Tianshan Mountains in China

The aim of this study is to carry out genotyping of 61 Y. pestts strmns tsolated trom lwarmota baibacina-Spermophilus undulates Plague Focus of Tianshan Mountains in China. Primer pairs targeting the 22 DFRs were designed for detecting the genotypes of 61 strains. As a result, 61 strains of Y. pestis were divided into four genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Genotypes 1, 2 and 3 were found from west part in Northern Tianshan Mountains Plague Focus, but type 1 was only from Nileke county. The type of strains from Aheqi was different from those of Atushi counties in Southern Tianshan Mountains and similar to strains in Northern Tianshan Mountains Plague Focus. The type 4 distributed over Atushi county, which was identical with that of strains from Marmota caudae Plague Focus of the Pamiri Plateau. It is concluded that geonotyping is identical with ecotyping made by Shuli Ji. Tianshan Mountains Plague Focus and Marmota caudae Plague Focus of the Pamiri Plateau have a cross spreading profile.