Evolutionary genetic and experimental analyses suggest that mutations causing familial Mediterranean fever have been positively selected in the Middle East, probably because they confer heightened resistance against Yersinia pestis infection.

中文翻译：

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鼠疫是引起家族性地中海热的原因。

进化遗传和实验分析表明，引起家族性地中海热的突变已在中东被积极选择，可能是因为它们赋予了鼠疫耶尔森氏菌感染的更高抗性。