Bubonic Plague Research Paper

Bubonic plague is transmitted by the rat flea (Xenopsylla Cheopis), which ingests Yersinia pestis cells by sucking blood from an infected animal. Yersinia pestis is a bacterium that infects rodents, humans and the oriental rat flea. It can be life threatening if untreated. The black death is a contagious disease that can spread very fast. Cells multiply in the flea’s intestine and can be transmitted to a healthy animal in the next bite. As the disease spreads, rat mortality becomes so high that the infected fleas seek new hosts, including humans. Also, the cells of the Yersinia pestis can travel to the lymph nodes, where they cause the formation of swollen areas referred to buboes. Yersinia pestis bacteria can resist phagocytosis by human immune cells and even reproduce inside phagocytes and kill them. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes can hemorrhage and the cells enter the bloodstream. If the disease is not treated, death will usually occur in 3-5 days. This is because when plague bacteria multiplies in the bloodstream, the bacteria eventually takes over the whole body. The bubonic plague is also known to spread to the lungs, which becomes the pneumonic plague. This is almost impossible to stop. Bubonic plague is one of the most common type of the plague. …show more content…
In order to prevent this disease, one must be 3 feet away from the victim and avoid touching infected tissues, materials, or body fluids. The bubonic plague is transmitted by the oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla Cheopis) which ingests Yersinia pestis bacteria by sucking blood from an infected