The plague is probably best known in the West as the disease that caused the Black Death in Europe in the fourteenth century. Nearly two-thirds of the population of Europe was killed, leaving a marked impact on Western culture (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2014). However, plague has not been eradicated and continues to be a disease that humans contend with in the twenty-first century. Natural disasters, human conflict, and abnormally warm and dry weather conditions can all cause increases in contemporary cases of plague (Oyston & Williamson, 2012).
History of Emergence of Disease The plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which was identified in 1894 by Alexandre Yersin. Y. pestis is a Gram-negative bacillus that is found …show more content…
Bubonic plague is the most common form in humans. After exposure to the plague, such as through a bite from an infected flea or rodent, there is a 2-8-day incubation period during which the bacteria travel to the local lymph nodes. Symptoms include sudden fever and chills and bubo formation at the affected lymph nodes. The buboes, which are tender and warm, grow quickly in size and destroy the lymph node. From the lymph node, the bacteria can spread into the blood to the spleen, liver, bone marrow, and other organs, causing bacteremia and fatal septic shock approximately 3-6 days after symptoms start. Septicemic plague, which is seen in one-third of American plague patients, bypasses the lymph nodes and directly affects the blood. Its disease course is similar to that of bubonic plague once the infection has reached the bloodstream. Septicemic plague has a 50% mortality rate, which is higher than that of bubonic plague. Finally, pneumonic plague can either be primary or secondary. Primary pneumonic plague occurs when somebody inhales aerosolized Y. pestis, such as from the cough of a plague patient (Butler, 2014) or from contaminated items including clothing (WHO, 2014). Secondary pneumonic plague occurs when bubonic or septicemic plague spreads to the lungs (Butler, …show more content…
The states affected were New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, and Texas. An additional two plague cases were reported in Oregon in 2010. The two most notable cases of plague in the United States involved scientists who were accidentally exposed and later died. One case occurred at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona in 2007 when a wildlife biologist autopsied a mountain lion that was later found to be infected with plague. The second case occurred in Chicago in 2009 when a geneticist working with Y. pestis did not wear
History of Emergence of Disease The plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, which was identified in 1894 by Alexandre Yersin. Y. pestis is a Gram-negative bacillus that is found …show more content…
Bubonic plague is the most common form in humans. After exposure to the plague, such as through a bite from an infected flea or rodent, there is a 2-8-day incubation period during which the bacteria travel to the local lymph nodes. Symptoms include sudden fever and chills and bubo formation at the affected lymph nodes. The buboes, which are tender and warm, grow quickly in size and destroy the lymph node. From the lymph node, the bacteria can spread into the blood to the spleen, liver, bone marrow, and other organs, causing bacteremia and fatal septic shock approximately 3-6 days after symptoms start. Septicemic plague, which is seen in one-third of American plague patients, bypasses the lymph nodes and directly affects the blood. Its disease course is similar to that of bubonic plague once the infection has reached the bloodstream. Septicemic plague has a 50% mortality rate, which is higher than that of bubonic plague. Finally, pneumonic plague can either be primary or secondary. Primary pneumonic plague occurs when somebody inhales aerosolized Y. pestis, such as from the cough of a plague patient (Butler, 2014) or from contaminated items including clothing (WHO, 2014). Secondary pneumonic plague occurs when bubonic or septicemic plague spreads to the lungs (Butler, …show more content…
The states affected were New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, and Texas. An additional two plague cases were reported in Oregon in 2010. The two most notable cases of plague in the United States involved scientists who were accidentally exposed and later died. One case occurred at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona in 2007 when a wildlife biologist autopsied a mountain lion that was later found to be infected with plague. The second case occurred in Chicago in 2009 when a geneticist working with Y. pestis did not wear