Pandemics and Pestilence
Across
- 2. pseudomallei** Dangerous soil bacterium normally found in tropics, suggested to be lurking in Georgia.
- 4. Death** Medieval pandemic that laid waste to western Eurasia, killing up to 60%.
- 6. dumping** Work done in low-income countries that would not be ethically approved elsewhere.
- 8. M2 ion channel inhibitor that inhibits viral uncoating, no longer recommended due to resistance.
- 9. Republic of Congo (DRC)** Identified as the epicenter of the current Mpox outbreak in Africa.
- 10. C** Strain of *Salmonella enterica* potentially causing the cocoliztli epidemic in Mexico.
- 13. mortality** Rate of internal infant mortality increased nearly 8% in counties following WNS outbreaks.
- 16. Flies whose flesh-eating larvae bore relentlessly into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
- 19. recurrentis** Spiral-shaped bacterium causing louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF), emerging about 5,000 years ago.
- 20. science** Foreign scientists fly in, conduct a study, and leave, excluding local researchers.
- 21. virus** Bat-borne virus remaining on WHO priority list because it is deadly and lacks therapies.
- 22. humanus** The body louse, the only known host of the *B. recurrentis* pathogen.
- 23. Scientist who decided to pass the long-term evolution experiment torch at age 65.
- 25. FDA-approved vaccine against chikungunya using a live, weakened version of the virus.
- 26. Bacteria causing shigellosis; caused one diarrheal outbreak linked to a Kansas splash pad.
- 27. marboxil** Clinically approved oral antiviral drug that blocks viral transcription by targeting PA protein.
- 28. coli** Bacteria whose genomes have not shrunk much after 75,000 generations.
- 31. Group of coronaviruses that includes SARS-CoV-2, added to WHO priority list.
- 32. atlases** Maps of organs or tumors describing the location and make-up of each cell.
- 33. Zoonotic disease, historically Monkeypox, endemic to Central and West Africa.
- 34. drift** Mutations in HA or NA proteins resulting in viral mutants that escape pre-existing immunity.
Down
- 1. Mosquito-borne viral disease causing fever, excruciating joint pain, and sometimes heart damage.
- 2. Disease caused by *B. pseudomallei*, often difficult to treat, causing systemic infection (sepsis).
- 3. networks** Proposed approach to study HPAI transmission complementing viral phylogenetic modeling.
- 4. Hunting technique bats use, emitting sounds to help locate insect prey.
- 5. nose syndrome (WNS)** Fungal disease killing millions of bats, invading skin and waking them during hibernation.
- 7. virus** Virus causing smallpox, eradicated in 1980 but still included on WHO priority list.
- 9. pestis** Plague-causing bacterium whose ancestral strains caused the medieval Black Death pandemic.
- 11. Largest epidemics in sixteenth-century Mexico that devastated the native population.
- 12. (Haemagglutinin)** Antigenic protein decorating the IAV viral envelope; includes seventeen known subtypes.
- 14. Insect Technique** Eradication method involving bombing infested areas with millions of sterile male flies.
- 15. Second most diverse group of mammals, known to carry viruses without known symptoms.
- 17. A(H5N1)** Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that reached panzootic status globally.
- 18. A Virus (IAV)** Highly contagious respiratory disease agent with a wide host range, posing pandemic risk.
- 21. (Neuraminidase)** Antigenic protein decorating the IAV viral envelope; includes nine known subtypes.
- 24. Fourteenth-century cemetery in Kyrgyzstan where *Y. pestis* DNA was recovered from burials.
- 26. pads** Recreational water venues often unregulated, linked to diarrheal outbreaks if water is dirty.
- 29. textiles** Became common across Eurasia around 5,000 years ago, coinciding with LBRF emergence.
- 30. Specific variant of H5N1 flu genome that accounted for most 2024 cattle infections.