Plague
Plague is a serious, potentially life-threatening infectious disease that is usually transmitted to humans by the bites of rodent fleas. It was one of the scourges of early human history. There are three major forms of the disease: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic.
Causes
The plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted to humans when they are bitten by fleas that have previously fed on infected animals, such as:
- Rats
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Prairie dogs
- Chipmunks
The bacteria can also enter your body if you have a break in your skin that comes into contact with an infected animal’s blood. Domestic cats and dogs can become infected with plague from flea bites or from eating infected rodents.
Pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs, is spread by inhaling infectious droplets coughed into the air by a sick animal or person
Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of plague may take three forms:
- Bubonic plague
In this form of the infection, bacteria infiltrate the lymph nodes, causing enlarged, painful, tender lymph nodes called buboes. Accompanying symptoms are fever, chills, headaches, and weakness. If not treated, the infection can spread to other areas of the body. This is the most common form seen in the few U.S. infections.
- Septicemic plague
This form of plague is a result of plague bacteria entering the bloodstream. It can occur on its own or it may develop from bubonic plague. Symptoms include fever, chills, weakness, abdominal pain, and shock. There can be bleeding and tissue death, especially of the fingers and toes. These dying tissues may appear black, hence the name Black Death.
- Pneumonic plague
In the pneumonic form of the illness, symptoms of other types of plague can be present, but the characteristic clinical picture of pneumonia is present. The plague bacteria spread to the lungs or infect the lungs directly when infected droplets in the air are inhaled. This is the only form of plague that can be transmitted from person to person. Shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, and cough with watery or bloody mucus production are symptoms of pneumonic plague.
Diagnosis
If your doctor suspects plague, he or she may look for the Yersinia pestis bacteria in samples taken from your:
- Buboes. If you have the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) characteristic of bubonic plague, a fluid sample can be taken from them with a needle.
- Blood. Yersinia pestis bacteria generally are present in your bloodstream only if you have septicemic plague.
- Lungs. To check for pneumonic plague, your doctor will take sputum or fluid from your airways using endoscopy — a thin, flexible tube inserted through your nose or mouth and down your throat.
Treatment
Medications
As soon as your doctor suspects that you have plague, you’ll need to be admitted to a hospital. There, you’ll receive powerful antibiotics, such as:
- Gentamicin
- Doxycycline (Vibramycin)
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
- Levofloxacin (Levaquin)