The etiological agent of the disease, Yersinia pestis, is an ancient and dangerous threat to our species. It has been with us since the Bronze Age and has repeatedly infected mankind in the course of history, killing about 50 million people during the Black Death in 1347. Today, modern hygiene standards, vaccination programs, and antibiotics are keeping this disease under control; however, Yersinia pestis still exists and still poses a threat in certain parts of the world. Learn more at: http://www.illumina.com/areas-of-interest/microbiology.html Products: HiSeq: http://www.illumina.com/systems/hiseq_2500_1500.html Publication Links: PMID: 26496604 | Rasmussen, et al. (2015): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26496604 PMID: 26518910| Volger, et al. (2016): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26518910 The Science Mondays (SciMon) series is brought to you by Illumina http://www.illumina.com/ Illumina hosts Irene Predazzi, Sr. Scientific Liaison of Scientific Affairs, and Jacques Retief, Associate Director of Scientific Affairs, give you a quick report on breaking news.