Symptoms

Infections and death of extremities (Gangrene) General ill feeling High fever Muscle cramps Seizures Swollen-bulbus and painful lymph glands (found either by the groin, armpits or neck) Sensitivity/Pain in of the lymph glands before swelling occurs Chills -(NIH 2014)

Perry RD, Fetherston JD. 1997. Yersinia pestis--etiologic agent of plague. Clinical Microbiology Reviews. National Intitutes of Health. 2014. Plague.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2012, Plague

Pobojewski S 1999, Bubonic plague kills by cutting off cellular communication, say scientists one molecule holds key to lethal effects. The University Record

Priya Nalluri
[Brandon Sinn] [SGS], [Thursday][1pm] Vector Disease Pamphlet

The Bubonic Plague

What is the Bubonic Plague?

Most likely youve heard the childrens rhyme Ring around the Posies. The popular verse goes something along the lines of Ring around the rosies, Pocket full of posies, Ashes, Ashes, We all fall Down! Despite its happy tune, it is actually a song about the Black Death, a disease also known as the Bubonic Plague and killed a third of the Europes population in the 14th century. Despite have such enormous consequences the bubonic plague has a very small origin, microscopic in fact. The disease is caused by the gramnegative bacteria, Yersinia pestis. www.infoplease.com The disease is zoonotic in origin, meaning it that can be passed between animals and humans. In this case the disease is spread from an infected rat through a vector, another organism that transmits the pathogen to another (Perry 1997). The vector that transmits the bubonic plague to humans are fleas that live on infected rats. When a flea bites an infected rat, and then bites a human, it passes the infection on to the human. Human can then spread it amongst themselves through coughing up particles that contain the
disease causing Yersinia pestis.

Above: Destruction caused by a plague outbreak in the 14th century. Below: Y. Pestis, the bacteria

The vector that transmits the bubonic plague to humans are fleas that live on infected rats. When a flea bites an infected rat the bacteria multiplies in the fleas gut, and then when the flea bites a human, it passes the bacteria on to the human. Human can then spread it amongst themselves through coughing up particles that contain the disease causing Yersinia

pestis (Perry 1997). Once the Y. Pestis enters the body, it travels to the nearest lymph node and begins to multiply while simultaneously releasing toxins that disable the bodys macrophages (immune response cell) serverly disabling the bodys immune system (Pobojewski 1999). It is quite unusual to see the disease in the US today, in the last 100 years there have only been 999 cases and only 11% of those were fatal due to the discovery of antibiotics (CDC 2012). The bubonic plague is easily diagnosable by the telltale bulbous like swelling of the lymph nodes. However doctors can also easily confirm their diagnosis by taking a sample of the patients sputum or blood and looking for the presence of Y. Pestis. Today the Plague is easily treated with antibiotics that specifically target gramnegative bacteria (bacteria that have a stubborn outer membrane) and prevented by sanitary living conditions and eliminating proximity to rodents.