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True Facts: The Ferret and the Plague

Ze Frank | July 10, 2026



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Citations:
Babic A, Lindner AB, Vulic M, Stewart EJ, Radman M. Direct visualization of horizontal gene transfer. Science. 2008 Mar 14;319(5869):1533-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1153498. PMID: 18339941.

Bland DM, Jarrett CO, Bosio CF, Hinnebusch BJ. Infectious blood source alters early foregut infection and regurgitative transmission of Yersinia pestis by rodent fleas. PLoS Pathog. 2018 Jan 22;14(1):e1006859. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006859. PMID: 29357385; PMCID: PMC5794196.

Bland DM, Hinnebusch BJ (2016) Feeding Behavior Modulates Biofilm-Mediated Transmission of Yersinia pestis by the Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides felis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 10(2): e0004413.
doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004413

Brito IL. Examining horizontal gene transfer in microbial communities. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2021 Jul;19(7):442-453. doi: 10.1038/s41579-021-00534-7. Epub 2021 Apr 12. PMID: 33846600.

Cavanaugh,D.C.,andJ.E.Williams.1980.Plague:someecologicalin-terrelationships,p.245–256.InR.TraubandH.Starcke(ed.),Fleas.ProceedingsoftheInternationalConferenceonFleas.A.A.Balkema,Rotterdam,TheNetherlands

Chen TH, Elberg SS. Scanning electron microscopic study of virulent Yersinia pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis type 1. Infect Immun. 1977 Mar;15(3):972-7. doi: 10.1128/iai.15.3.972-977.1977. PMID: 858647; PMCID: PMC421467.

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B. Joseph Hinnebusch, Clayton O. Jarrett, David M. Bland. 2017. “Fleaing” the Plague: Adaptations of Yersinia pestis to Its Insect Vector That Lead to Transmission*. Annual Review Microbiology. 71:215-232. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-090816-093521

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Written by Ze Frank

Comments

This post currently has 43 comments.

  15. @chadpittman4741

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    I’m unsubscribing because my feed is all your videos that I can’t watch unless I become a member! I’m already a premium member and i find the money grab for memberships repulsive. Shame on you.

  19. @JoeCold

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    This was an interesting video with lots of images of cute ferrets and prairie dogs. But all I heard was we have loads of Yersinia pestis (one of the most horrific killers in human history) in the America's and we want to grow the populations of its best carriers. 😰

  20. @gordonfurness6253

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    I love that this was basically a commercial for the World Wildlife Fund. It's fantastic what you do, Frank. Please keep doing what you do best…informing us and making us laugh at the same time.

  22. @amarissimus29

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    Unfortunately we've learned over the past few years exactly where 100% of our donation to WWF goes. Along with a bunch of other nice-sounding organizations. I think your awesome videos probably help animals more just through sheer vibes.

  28. @belialriversong

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    I would like to formally request…True Facts About Chinchillas 🥺👉👈 both species of the chinchilla have been endangered for years do to overhunting and the fur trade, and more recently its been from deforestation and wildfires 😔💔

  36. @05Matz

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    Cute ferrets, ecosystem conservation, and a timely reminder that even The Plague (like, the famous one) is still around and why hygiene and avoiding parasite bites are so important, all in one video? Awesome.

  40. @LucasTigy2

    July 10, 2026 at 12:21 am

    you said it was non-toxic to the flee and yet blocking it's throat until it coughs it up and then eventually destroying it's lymph nodes seems like a pretty harmful infection to me

Comments are closed.

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