Professor Malcolm J. Casadaban, a 60-year-old genetics researcher at the University of Chicago, died on Sept. 13 at the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Bernard Mitchell Hospital. Casadaban was studying the genetics of the plague bacteria and officials think his infection may stem from his research. The U of C Medical Center said in a statement that Casadaban’s autopsy showed “no obvious cause of death” except for the presence of a weakened strain of the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis in his blood. Although there doesn’t appear to be a public health threat related to his death, U of C has taken precautions by notifying Casadaban’s close contacts and working closely with the city and state health departments and the CDC to investigate his death. more ›