Type of Plague

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS PLAGUE ??

PLAGUE

The plague is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly. Sometimes referred to as the "black plague," the disease is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis. This bacteria is found on animals throughout the world and is usually transmitted to humans through fleas.

Plague is a rapidly progressing disease that can lead to death. Immediate medical intervention is necessary.

There are three different types of plague: 

• bubonic plague,
• septicemic plague, 
• and pneumonic plague.

Bubonic Plague

1. The most common type is bubonic plague.
2. Septicemic plague occurs when the Yersinia pestis bacteria (the organism responsible for the disease) multiply in the blood.
3. Pneumonic plague is the most serious of the three types of plague.
4. It occurs when plague bacteria infect the lungs, causing pneumonia.

An infectious disease, bubonic plague is primarily transmitted through the bites of infected fleas or rodents. The bacteria that cause the disease are rarely spread through human-to-human contact. Symptoms tend to develop within six days. However, other conditions are ruled out before making a firm diagnosis. If left untreated, the mortality rate for bubonic plague is 50 to 90 percent; it drops to 15 percent with early diagnosis and treatment.

Causes of Bubonic Plague

Bubonic plague is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis. These bacteria are found mainly in rodents, particularly rats, and in the fleas that feed on them. Other animals and humans usually contract the bacteria from rodent or flea bites. 

How Is It Spread?

Usually, bubonic plague is spread by being bitten by an infected flea or rodent. In rare cases, Yersinia pestis bacteria that is present on a piece of contaminated clothing or other material used by an infected person may enter through an opening in the skin. The bacteria are rarely spread from person to person.

Symptoms

• fever and chills
• headache
• muscle pain
• general weakness
• seizures

Septicemic Plague

1. Septicemic plague is one form of plague. It develops when Yersinia pestis enters the bloodstream.
2. one of three types of plague caused by Yersinia pestis.
3.  develops when the bacteria enters the bloodstream.
4.  It is possible for the disease to also develop as a complication of untreated bubonic or pneumonic plague, or from being bitten by an infected flea or rodent.

When the bacteria multiply in the lungs, you have pneumonic plague—the most serious form of the disease. When a person with pneumonic plague coughs, the bacteria from their lungs are expelled into the air. Other people who breathe that air can also develop this highly contagious form of plague, which can lead to an epidemic.

Causes of Septicemic Plague

The root cause of septicemia is a bacterial infection (typically severe) in another part of the body. Urinary tract infections, lung infections, and infections in the abdominal area are all potential causes of septicemia. Bacteria from these infections enter the bloodstream and multiply, causing immediate symptoms.

How It Is Spread

Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by an overwhelming immune response to infection. Chemicals released into the blood to fight infection trigger widespread inflammation.

Symtoms

The most common initial symptoms are:

• chills,
• elevated body temperature,
• very fast respiration and/or heart rate.

Other symptoms that commonly emerge as the septicemia progresses include:

• confusion or inability to think clearly,
• red dots that appear on the skin,
• a reduction in urine volume,
• inadequate blood flow (shock).

Pneumonic Plague

1. Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs. The infection may be caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses. 
2. Pneumonia causes inflammation in your lung’s air sacs, also referred to as alveoli. The alveoli fill with fluid or pus, making it difficult to breathe.
3. The severity of pneumonia usually depends on the cause of the inflammation or by the type of organism causing the infection, a person’s age, and their general health.

Pneumonic plague occurs when the lungs become infected with the bacteria that cause plague (Yersinia pestis). This disease is most often transmitted when respiratory droplets from an infected person or animal are breathed in. It can also develop if bubonic or septicemic plague is left untreated. Antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of the first symptoms of this illness to reduce the chance of death.

Causes Of Pneumonic Plague

Bacterial Pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia can affect anyone at any age. It can develop on its own or after a serious cold or flu.

Viral Pneumonia

In most cases, respiratory viruses can cause pneumonia, especially in young children and the elderly.However, the flu virus can cause viral pneumonia to be severe or fatal.

Mycoplasma Pneumonia

Mycoplasmas are not viruses or bacteria, but they have traits common to both. They are the smallest agents of disease that affect humans.

How It Is Spread ?

Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person through the air. Transmission can take place when someone breathes in aerosolized (gaseous) bacteria, as could happen in a bioterrorist attack. Pneumonic plague is also spread by breathing in Yersinia pestis that is suspended in respiratory droplets, from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague. Becoming infected in this way, however, usually requires direct and close contact with the ill person or animal.

Symptoms

• chest pain
• shaking chills
• fever
• dry cough
• muscle aches
• nausea/vomiting
• rapid breathing
• rapid heartbeat
• difficulty breathing

References

http://plague.emedtv.com/plague/types-of-plague.html

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/sepsis-septicemia-blood-infection