Bubonic Plague

Bubonic Plague (Black Death/Black Plague)

Fatality Rate

50% to 90% in untreated cases, while the rate is 1% to 15% in treated cases.

The people who get treated for it have a low chance of dying, while the people not treated have a high chance of dying.

Treatments/ Preventions

Several antibiotics are effective for treating the Bubonic Plague such as:

• Aminoglycoside
• Streptomycin
• Gentamicin
• Tetracycline
• Doxycycline
• The Fluoroquinolone Ciprofloxacin

The people who are initially infected with the Bubonic Plague need immediate treatment and should be given antibiotics within 24 hours of the first symptoms to prevent death. A few other treatments are oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support. The antibiotic Streptomycin has been proven to be dramatically successful against the Bubonic Plague within 12 hours of infection.

Historical Relevance

• The first recorded epidemic happened in the Byzantine Empire during the sixth century, they had named it the Plague of Justinian after emperor Justinian I who was infected with it but survived through extensive treatment. This epidemic is estimated to have killed approximately 25 million people in the empire alone. The Bubonic Plague was spread out into Asia Minor and westward to Greece and Italy by rats that carried infected fleas that traveled on boats, etc.

• The Black Death is the largest and most infamous epidemic of the Bubonic Plague. It happened during the Early Modern Period (1340-1400). The Plague hit in 1347 and killed off one third of the population. The Black Death originated in or around China then spread from Italy and throughout other European countries. It started when Mongols attacked the Italian merchant's last trading station in the region. During this time Plague docters, who wore bird masks and heavy fabric overcoat which was waxed, they also had a wooden can to examine without touching. They were hired to help cure people with the Plague, being a Plague docter was a very difficult job. There were a lot of ethno-medical beliefs for prevention of the Black Death such as walking around with flowers in or around their nose to "ward off the stench and the evil that is with them." A religious way of warding it off was to carve a the symbol of a cross into the front door of a house with the words "Lord have mercy on us." The Black Death was a bad time for Europe.

• The Third Pandemic was when the Plague resurfaced in Central Asia in the mid-19th century, which killed millions in China and India. The outbreak spread worldwide and went on til the early 20th century.

Emerging?

No it is not emerging, it just resurfaces after a while, like it resurfaced in Central Asia after the Black Death had happened about 400 years earlier

Most Recent Cases/ Outbreaks

The most recent cases/ outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague:

• 1994: A Plague outbreak in five Indian states causing an estimated 700 infections and 52 deaths in India. There were cases reported in Peru.
• 2010: There were cases reported in Peru. There was a case reported in Oregon.

Citations/References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague

Symptoms of the Bubonic Plague

• Acral Gangrene: Gangrene of the fingers, toes, lips, tip of the nose.
• Chills
• General Ill Feeling
• High Fever
• Muscle Cramps
• Seizures
• Smooth, painful lymph gland swelling called a bubo, which is commonly found in the groin, but may occur in the armpits or neck, but most often at the place where you were first infected with the disease.
• Pain may occur in the area before the swelling is visible.
• Skin color changes to a pink hue in some extreme cases
• Bleeding from the cochlea, which begins after 12 hours of infection
• Heavy breathing
• Continuous vomiting of blood
• Aching limbs
• Coughing
• Extreme pain

By Brianna Crews

How is it transmitted?

It is transmitted through a bite from an infected flea. After entering the body, it travels through the lymphatics and replicates, moving on through the lymph nodes to infect the one who was bitten.

The Organisms that Cause the Bubonic Plague

The bubonic plague is caused by Yersinia Pestis which belongs to the family of bacteria called Enterobacteriaceae.

It is carried by small rodents such as rats, and by fleas that bite you after biting the infected rodent.

What is the bubonic plague?

The Bubonic Plague is a zoonotic bacterial disease that swells up your lymph nodes (buboes) mostly in the armpit, groin, neck, and knees.