Black Death "bio-archaeology" shows infection pathway

       The ability to map and discover the evolution of bacteria has enabled researchers to trace the movement of historic pandemics since 2000, and in several studies on the Black Death, a new field of "bio-archaeology" has emerged.  Perhaps using "Legal Biohistory", more can be learned about the human-bacteria interaction by correlating the legal record as well.
       A recent archaeological dig of Black Death victims from 14th Century Europe describe two new strains of bubonic plague. Further, the genomics of the evolution of the bacteria from each of the five dig sites, revealed a pathway of development of the bacteria, tracing a possible route of infection through Europe.  Bubonic plague was confirmed as the cause of the Black Death in each of these digs.  The massive pandemic of 1341-45 was just one of hundreds of lesser outbreaks of plague for hundreds of years.
       In a study led by Paul Kiem, Northern Arizona University, the evolution of the Black Death could be traced as well.  More recently, as reported May 18, 2014 in USA Today, Dr. Kiem led another investigation into the genomics of the Justinian Plague in the 6th Century, and discovered that the strain responsible for that death depicted in horrendous drawings and paintings reached an evolutionary end -- it doesn't exist anymore.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/18/on-the-trail-of-the-dreaded-plague/9232883/
       I would also suggest that further research, correlating the quarantine actions taken at ports and cities which are well documented during this period might reveal an impact on the evolution of the plague bacteria. If that were true, then I would suggest that it would be the first documented evidence of legal action affecting the evolution of a bacteria.
 The study by S. Haensch et al., is available from the open access journal, http://www.uni-mainz.de/eng/13883.php .

Proposed route of the Black Death from S. Haensch, et. al.

biosecuritymuseum

Biosurveillance at the DHS -- is the U.S. EPA completely out?

On June 10, 2014, the Office of Health Affairs and the Office of Science and Technology of the DHS testified before a House Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness . . . and reported on the status of new biodetection technologies for acquisition. 
“BioWatch: Lessons Learned and the Path Forward” . 

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services have often struggled to work out their separate functions in public health security, but this written testimony gives us a clear picture of functions in areas involving bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases.  DHS has the lead for integrating information through the NBIC with a goal of early detection.  Early in the BioWatch program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also had a role, using air monitoring network that was created for sampling air quality for compliance with the Clean Air Act.  The GAO reported in April 2010 that the role of the U.S. EPA in BioWatch was being greatly reduced.  Budgeting to USEPA for BioWatch activities from DHS fell from $ 28.6 million in 2004-2005 to $780,000 in 2009-2010. The EPA is not mentioned in the written testimony functioning of BioWatch, but it would be very unfortunate if the US EPA was excluded from participation in the NBIC in biosurveillance.

Here is a quote from the written testimony that outlines DHS's lead on biosurveillance:

The National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC), operated through the DHS Office of Health Affairs (OHA), is the designated government entity charged with integration, analysis, and dissemination of the Nation’s biosurveillance information in order to advance national safety, security, and resilience.
NBIC is a 24/7 operation that collaborates daily with the BioWatch program as well as other National Biosurveillance Integration System (NBIS) federal department and agency partners and state, local, tribal, and territorial entities. At this time, NBIC is monitoring and reporting on, among other biological events, avian influenza H7N9 in China; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a number of countries now including the United States; Chikungunya Fever in the Caribbean; Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa; and the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 worldwide.

Biohorror Subgenre was Not Always Applauded

In my book, The Things that Keep Us Up At Night --Reel Biohorror, I trace the development of the biohorror subgenre and the exponential increase in movies of this subgenre since the 2001 anthrax attacks, bird flu, etc.  But I did not know that a screenplay known as the "greatest screenplay never made" was about the Black Death and considered far too depressing and vile to be made in America at the time.  This was shared with me by commenter, Dennis Hackin, a screenwriter and someone who is immensely knowledgeable about the movie industry:
http://www.elisbergindustries.com/blog/todays-huffery-the-greatest-screenplay-never-made