PlagueALSO KNOWN AS BLACK DEATH

Basic information

The plague is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly. Sometimes referred to as the "black death," the disease is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis. This bacteria is found on animals throughout the world and is usually transmitted to humans through fleas.

Domain:Bacteria Kingdom:Eubacteria Phylum: Proteobacteria Class:GammaproteobacteriaOrder:Enterobacteriales Family:Enterobacteriaceae Genus:Yersinia Species:Y. pestis

The bacteria is Gram negative coccobacillus. It can be detected in blood, fluid in buboes.It is stained using Giemsa, Wright, Wayson's stain - Bipolar safety pin staining.

In medieval times, the plague, or "black death," was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe. Today, there are only 1,000 to 3,000 cases reported worldwide each year, with the highest incidence in Africa.

Plague is a rapidly progressing disease that can lead to death. Immediate medical intervention is necessary.

The History

The three main pandemics

• The Justinian plague

:541 AD Meditarranean

basin.

• Black death or the Great

plague : China 1334

• Modern plague : China

1894

How it spreads ?People usually get plague through the bite of fleas that have previously fed on infected animals like mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and prairie dogs. It can also be spread through direct contact with an infected person or animal, or by eating an infected animal. According to the National Institutes of health, plague can also spread through scratches or bites of infected domestic cats

It is rare for bubonic plague or septicemic plague to spread from one human to another.

Bubonic type:

Bubonic plague is the most common variety of the disease. It's named after the buboes — swollen

lymph nodes — which typically develop within a week after an infected flea bites you. Buboes may be:

Situated in the groin, armpit or neck

About the size of a chicken egg

Tender and warm to the touch

Other signs and symptoms may include:

Sudden onset of fever and chills

Headache

Fatigue or malaise

Muscle aches

The Bubonic Plague

Pneumonic type:

Pneumonic plague affects the lungs. It's the least common variety of plague but the most dangerous,

because it can be spread from person to person via cough droplets. Signs and symptoms can begin

within a few hours after infection, and may include:

Cough, with bloody sputum

Difficulty breathing

High fever

Nausea and vomiting

Weakness

Pneumonic plague progresses rapidly and may cause respiratory failure and shock within two days of

infection. If antibiotic treatment isn't initiated within a day after signs and symptoms first appear, the

infection is likely to be fatal.

The Pneumonic type :

Septicemic type :

Septicemic plague occurs when plague bacteria multiply in your bloodstream. Signs and symptoms

include:

Fever and chills

Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting

Bleeding from your mouth, nose or rectum, or under your skin

Shock

Blackening and death of tissue (gangrene) in your extremities, most commonly your fingers, toes and

nose

The Septisemic plague

Treatment

Treatment

Prevention

• Keeping the rodent population under control can greatly

reduce your risk of getting the bacteria that causes plague.

• Keep your home free from stacks of firewood or piles of

rock, brush, or other debris. Don’t leave pet food out and

protect your pets from fleas. Use insect repellent products

or natural insect repellants like citronella when spending

time outdoors.

• If you have been exposed to fleas during a plague

outbreak, visit your doctor immediately so your concerns

can be addressed quickly.

• A vaccine is available,It consists of killed y.pestisbut is only recommended as a preventative measure for

high-risk groups (like laboratory staff). According to the

World Health Organization, the vaccination is not a proven

method of preventing plague during an outbreak (WHO).

Facts about plague

The term "Black Death" is recent. During the plague, it was called "the Great Mortality" or "the Pestilence."i

The first named victims of the plague died in 1338 and 1339 in the area around Lake Issyk Kul (Lake Baikal) in

Russia, where a grave marker says, "In the year of the hare (1339). This is the grave of Kutluk. He died of the

plague with his wife, Magnu-Kelka."c

A November 2000 study of tooth pulp in a French plague grave showed the presence of Y. pestis in all of 20

samples from three victims.c

Y. Pestis infects its flea by blocking its stomach. The flea tries repeatedly to feed, but the blockage causes it to

regurgitate bacilli into its host. When the host dies, the flea and its offspring seek a new host, infesting humans

when necessary.a

The mortality rate for humans who caught the bubonic plague was 30-75%. The pneumonic plague killed 90-

95% of its victims. The septicemic plague killed nearly 100% of the people it infected and still has no cure to this

day.

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Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food

-- HIPPOCRATES