Those exposed to a case of pneumonic plague may be treated with preventive medication.

Diagnosis is typically by finding the bacterium in fluid from a lymph node, blood or sputum. The bubonic and septicemic forms are generally spread by flea bites or handling an infected animal, whereas pneumonic plague is generally spread between people through the air via infectious droplets. Pneumonic plague infects the lungs, causing shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain bubonic plague affects the lymph nodes, making them swell and septicemic plague infects the blood and can cause tissues to turn black and die. There are three forms of plague, each affecting a different part of the body and causing associated symptoms. Usually this begins one to seven days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, weakness and headache. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

Yersinia pestis seen at 200× magnification with a fluorescent label.īubonic plague, septicemic plague, pneumonic plague įinding the bacterium in a lymph node, blood, sputum

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