Plague - Bacillus Yersinia Pestis Essay - 1364 Words

Identification and Prevention of What Makes Life â€Å"Nasty, Brutish, and Short† Plague is caused by the bacterium bacillus Yersinia pestis, and is carried by rodents, fleas, and mammals. Plague takes three forms: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Bubonic plague affects the lymph glands, while the pneumonic and septicemic forms affect the lungs and the blood. Today, plague can be prevented by antibiotics and strict public health measures. Three methods of controlling carriers involve sanitizing the environment, educating the public on how to prevent exposure, and using prophylactic antibiotics. â€Å"O happy posterity, who will not experience such abysmal woe and will look upon our testimony as a fable,† wrote the Florentian Renaissance†¦show more content†¦2 Yersinia pestis belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae, a family of Gram-negative, cocobacillus, rod-shaped bacteria. This anaerobic and intracellular agent (â€Å"CRBNE – Plague†) of plague primarily affects rodent populations on every continent except Australia. Plague takes three forms, in which Yersinia pestis is the same agent: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. The bubonic plague, through which Yersinia pestis affects the lymph nodes, is transmitted to humans usually by the bite of an infected rodent flea (Kool, J.). This variety is identified by a sudden attack of high fever, chills, general discomfort, muscular pain, severe headache, and most of all, the buboe. The buboe, from which comes â€Å"bubonic,† is a smooth and painful swelling of the lymph glands that takes place mainly in the groin, but can also occur in the armpits or neck. The symptoms appear usually two to five days after exposure to Yersinia pestis. Although it is the least dangerous of the varieties, the bubonic plague constitutes three-fourths of all plague cases. Those affected by bubonic plague have a 1 to 15% mortality rate in treated cases, and a 40-60% mortality rate in untreated cases (â€Å"CRBNE -- Plague†). The pneumonic plague, in which Yersinia pestis affects the lungs, is the only form of plague transmissible among humans (Kool, J.). This variety is characterized by difficulty in breathing and severeShow MoreRelatedYersinia Pestis And The Plague872 Words   |  4 PagesYersinia pestis and the Plague The infectious disease known as â€Å"the Plague† is spread by a bacterium classified as Yersinia pestis, which is usually transmitted in the bites of fleas or infected animals or people. Infectious Disease: Signs and Symptoms The plague has three different forms: Bubonic, Septicemic, and Pneumonic. The signs and symptoms of the bubonic plague usually include fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes. 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