PLAGUE
– SCI & TECH
News:
How bubonic plague
rewired the human immune system
What's
in the news?
●
Bubonic plague is still found in scattered
locations around the world, but thanks to modern antibiotics it is far easier
to treat than in the past.
●
Yet, the disease may still have left its
mark on humankind.
Bubonic
Plague:
●
Plague is an infectious disease caused by
a specific type of bacteria called Yersinia pestis.
○
Y. pestis can affect humans and animals and is spread mainly by fleas.
●
Bubonic plague, also known as Black Death, is one type of plague. It
gets its name from the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) caused by the disease.
Types
of Plague:
●
Septicemic
plague - which happens when the infection goes all through
the body.
●
Pneumonic
plague - which happens when the lungs are infected.
Symptoms:
Bubonic plague symptoms
include
●
Sudden
high fever and chills.
●
Pains in the areas of the abdomen, arms
and legs.
●
Headaches.
●
Large and swollen lumps in the lymph nodes
(buboes) that develop and leak pus.
Transmission:
●
Y. pestis is spread mostly by fleas on rodents and other animals.
●
It is transmitted between animals and
humans by the bite of infected fleas, direct contact with infected tissues and
inhalation of infected respiratory droplets.
●
It’s an example of a disease that can
spread between animals and people (a zoonotic disease).
Treatment:
●
It can be treated and cured with
antibiotics.
●
Antibiotics
that treat bubonic plague include Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin,
Gentamicin and Doxycycline.
●
It can be fatal if it’s not treated.