Author: John Winkler, MD
Educational Pearls:
- The plague (black death) is caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria. This bacteria is spread by fleas and carried by rats. It is very contagious and only needs ~ 100 bacteria to cause an infection.
- The pulmonary form presents with cough, fever, night sweats, hemoptysis and has a near 100% fatality rate if not treated in the first day of symptoms
- The bubonic form causes buboes, which are necrotic, purulent lymph nodes that can lead to sepsis.
- Prairie dogs are a common carrier in modern times
References
https://www.cdc.gov/plague/index.html
Summarized by Will Dewispelaere, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD