The Bubonic Plague
Yersinia Pestis
What is the Black Plague?
The Bubonic plague is one reaction to the bacteria Yersinia Pestis. The black plague is a disease spread from fleas to rats to humans. The plague sends the body a message saying it is harm less and then makes its way to the nearest lymph nodes. Once in the lymph nodes the plague festers and makes the lymph nodes swell and they begin to turn dark purple, black. Once the lymph nodes have been affected the disease makes its way to the liver and spleen. Killing you in six days at most if not treated fast.
Flea filled with Yersinia Pestis
Rat with Yersinia Pestis
Yersinia Pestis
Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms are fever, headache, chills, and weakness, vomiting of blood, prostration, delirium, hemorrhaging of the small capillaries under the skin and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes) in neck, armpits and groin. With blackish coloring to lymph nodes swelling continues to expand until they burst, death soon after.
How does the black plague come around?
Yersinia Pestis (bubonic plague) gets into a flea. The flea then finds a host being rodents. When the flea bites the rodent and gives the rodent the plague the rodent then begins to die. After the rodent is dead the flea begins to look for other hosts to feed on being other rodents or humans. As the flea bites the human or rodent it regurgitates bacteria into the body of the host. The bacteria then gives the immune system a false signal that it is a harmless bacteria. The body then leaves the bacteria alone. The bacteria then makes its way to the nearest lymph nodes. Once the bacteria swells the lymph nodes it makes its way to the liver and spleen. Were if not treated fast enough the Bacteria makes the liver and spleen swell until they burst killing you.
The Black Death - Part 1 of 2
The Black Death - Part 2 of 2
Treatment
There is no real treatment for the plague. The only way to treat it is to prevent it in the first place with preventative drug therapy, environmental management, public health education. If you have the plague you are given antibiotics that may work or may not work.
Statistics of the Plague
Amounts of plague world wide.
Chart of the victims of plague in the U.S.
Map of the victims of plague in the U.S.
Lived to tell the Tale
Lucinda Marker and her husband were bitten by a flea in their home of Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2002. They both began to feel sick and had sore swollen lymph nodes in the groin area. After admitted to the hospital they were given antibiotics. The antibiotics began working almost immediately for Lucinda but her husband began to get worse. John, Lucinda's husband had Septicemic plague or gangrene. Were your toes or fingers begin to rot away and die. The toes begin to turn black and can sometimes fall off. John had to have his lower leg amputated.
Leading to
If you have Yersinia Pestis you also have Septicemic plague and Pneumonic plague. Septicemic plague or gangrene kills your fingers and/or toes. The skin begins to rot and die because of the lack of blood flow. Pneumonic plague can be transferred from person to person. If someone with Pneumonic plague coughs droplets into the air anyone who inhales the particles they now have the plague.
Bibliography
"The Black Death." , Knox. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://europeanhistory.boisestate.edu/westciv/>.
"Bubonic Plague Traced to Ancient Egypt." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/>.
Cunningham, Kevin. "Rats, Fleas, and Plague." Diseases in History. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2009. 13-21. Print.
"Plague." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cdc.gov/>.
"Plague." Ebsco. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <web.ebscohost.com>.