Plague

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Basics

• Summary
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• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

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• Specifics

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• Journal Articles

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Summary

Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacteria are found mainly in rats and in the fleas that feed on them. People and other animals can get plague from rat or flea bites. In the past, plague destroyed entire civilizations. Today plague is uncommon, due to better living conditions and antibiotics.

There are three forms of plague:

• Bubonic plague causes the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus to become inflamed. Symptoms include fever, aches, chills, and tender lymph glands.
• In septicemic plague, bacteria multiply in the blood. It causes fever, chills, shock, and bleeding under the skin or other organs.
• Pneumonic plague is the most serious form. Bacteria enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. People with the infection can spread this form to others. This type could be a bioterror agent.

Lab tests can diagnose plague. Treatment is a strong antibiotic. There is no vaccine.

Start Here

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Plague (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Plague (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
• Plague Factsheet (Department of the Interior) - PDF
• Plague: Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Symptoms

• Plague Symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Plague Diagnosis and Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Plague Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Protect Yourself from Plague (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bubonic Plague (VisualDX)
• Pneumonic Plague (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Statistics and Research

• Plague: Maps and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Retrospective analysis of dissemination of the 2.MED1 phylogenetic branch of Yersinia...
• Article: Reply to Alfani: Reconstructing past plague ecology to understand human history.
• Article: Islamic Civilizations and Plagues: The Role of Religion, Faith and Psychology...
• Plague -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• World Health Organization

Patient Handouts

• Plague (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish