Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacteria live mainly in rats and in the fleas that feed on them, and people and other animals can catch plague from rat or flea bites. Plague once destroyed entire civilisations; today it is uncommon, thanks to better living conditions and antibiotics.
Three forms
- Bubonic plague inflames the tonsils, adenoids, spleen and thymus. Symptoms include fever, aches, chills and tender lymph glands.
- Septicemic plague: the bacteria multiply in the blood, causing fever, chills, shock, and bleeding under the skin or in other organs.
- Pneumonic plague, the most serious form: the bacteria enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. It can spread from person to person, and it could be used as a bioterror agent.
Diagnosis and treatment
Laboratory tests can diagnose plague. It is treated with a strong antibiotic. There is no vaccine.
Sources
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Plague." https://medlineplus.gov/plague.html
- Rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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