Activation of Heme Oxygenase Expression by Cobalt Protoporphyrin Treatment Prevents Pneumonic Plague Caused by Inhalation of Yersinia pestis

Abstract

Pneumonic plague, caused by the Gram-negative bacteria Yersinia pestis , is an invasive, rapidly progressing disease with poor survival rates. Following inhalation of Y. pestis , bacterial invasion of the lungs and a tissue-damaging inflammatory response allows vascular spread of the infection. Consequently, primary pneumonic plague is a multiorgan disease involving sepsis and necrosis of immune tissues and the liver, as well as bronchopneumonia and rampant bacterial growth.