Yersinia Pestis And The Plague - 872 Words

Yersinia pestis and the Plague The infectious disease known as â€Å"the Plague† is spread by a bacterium classified as Yersinia pestis, which is usually transmitted in the bites of fleas or infected animals or people. Infectious Disease: Signs and Symptoms The plague has three different forms: Bubonic, Septicemic, and Pneumonic. The signs and symptoms of the bubonic plague usually include fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes. A flea will typically bite a human, and the bacteria will travel to the nearest lymph node where it will multiply before it spreads to other parts of the body. The signs and symptoms of the Septicemic plague also generally include fever, chills, extreme weakness, as well as abdominal pain, shock, and possibly bleeding into the skin and other organs. Just like the bubonic plague, it usually comes from the bite of a flea, or from contact with an animal that has also been infected. In the case of the Pneumonic plague, the patients will also experience fever, headache, weakness, but it will usually be accompanied by a rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, may develop a cough, chest pain, and sometimes blood y and/or watery mucous, and may cause respiratory failure, all of which can lead to shock. This is also the most serious form of the disease, and is the only one of the three forms that can be spread from person to person. Causative Agent(s): Distinguishing characteristicsShow MoreRelatedYersinia Pestis And The Plague1131 Words   |  5 PagesYersinia pestis and the Plague Jin You MMI 133 Dr. Judith Gnarpe One organism that commonly causes diseases in humans is Yersinia pestis. This bacterium is the causative agent of the infamous bubonic plague, primary septicaemic plague, and primary pneumonic plague. Y. pestis was first discovered by Shibasaburo Kitasato and Alexandre Yersin, but due to Yersin’s description of the bacteria being more accurate, this bacterium was named after him (3). There are still disputes going on for who had correctlyRead More Plague - Bacillus Yersinia Pestis Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesIdentification and Prevention of What Makes Life â€Å"Nasty, Brutish, and Short† Plague is caused by the bacterium bacillus Yersinia pestis, and is carried by rodents, fleas, and mammals. Plague takes three forms: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Bubonic plague affects the lymph glands, while the pneumonic and septicemic forms affect the lungs and the blood. Today, plague can be prevented by antibiotics and strict public health measures. Three methods of controlling carriers involve sanitizingRead MoreEssay Yersinia pestis - Bacteria Virulence and Symptoms1438 Words   |  6 PagesYersinia pestis - Bacteria Virulence and Symptoms Yersinia pestis appeared fairly early in history and is still prevailing today. Humans have come in contact with this bacterium in massive outbreaks throughout history, including the most famous Black Death of the 14th century. From the lack of knowledge of the bacteria and its ability to infect populations rapidly, the human race has suffered immensely. The bacterium is specialized with specific plasmids, Yersinia outer proteins as well as otherRead MoreEssay on How the Black Plague Effected Society741 Words   |  3 Pages The plague is a dangerous and deadly disease. The plague is one of the oldest diseases known to the human race. Back when Europe was still in the middle ages all the people including serfs, royalty, jews, and church members were devastated by disease that was unknown to them. The disease spread rapidly through Europe through a variety of means. The plague possesses many names like the black death or the black plague. No matter what the people referred to it as i t greatly affected the society inRead MoreAn Educational Presentation By Caitlin Gibbs1314 Words   |  6 PagesYersinia pestis An educational presentation by Caitlin Gibbs General Outline Covering: ï‚ § History and Relevance ï‚ § Biological Characteristics ï‚ § Pathogenesis ï‚ § Detection Not covering ï‚ § Its use as a biological warfare agent The Plague Considered by many to be the greatest pandemic in the history of the world, the Plague is a disease that has ‘plagued’ the world for over a millennia. Three major pandemics recorded throughout history— claimed an estimated 200 million lives. History of the Plague TheRead More Yersinia pestis – Infection, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment1572 Words   |  7 PagesYersinia pestis – Gerneal Infection, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Yersinia pestis, the culprit behind the infamous Black Death, spread by rat fleas, has cast a shadow over human civilization, taken the lives of countless peasants and nobles alike like a violent brute who murders invariably. There are three major forms of infection stages, the bubonic plague, the septicemic plague, and the pneumonic plague (primary and secondary), all are lethal if not treated with proper antibiotics. DueRead MoreThe Plague Of The 19th Century926 Words   |  4 PagesThe plague that struck Europe and Asia in the 14th century was undoubtedly the most devastating disease or natural disaster the world ever faced. The Bubonic Plague or Black Death killed an estimated 25 million people from 1347 to 1352 in Europe, which accounted for one third of Europe’s population.-1 Historians believed that the Plague started in Asia and then spread to Europe. The plague lasted for five devastating years, but it’s wrath did not end in 1352. The Plague would reappear throughRead MoreThe Black Death And The Plague Outbreak1331 Words   |  6 Pagesoutbreaks in history was the plague outbreak which peaked in 1346 to 1353, in Europe, commonly known as the Black Death. This plague outbreak was extremely deadly and killed 30-60% of the European population at the time of the outbreak. The outbreak is commonly believed to have been caused by the bubonic plague, but modern evidence suggests that the Black Death was caused by pneumonic plague, a much more contagious and deadly infection. The Black Death was the second major plague outbreak in history, theRead MoreEssay about Transmission of the Plague to Humans1477 Words   |  6 PagesTransmission of the Plague to Humans Abstract Yersinia pestis is a bacterium that has been well known to mankind for centuries. Its mechanisms of survival in wide variety of species are extraordinary. The power of this bacterium is dependent on its manipulation of the immune system of its host’s. Its means of survival in the flea and its use of the flea as a vector to other desirable hosts portray this bacterium’s true capability. This flea is the main cause of the bacterium to other animalsRead MoreThe Black Death : A Widespread Disease1148 Words   |  5 Pagesidentify the same new type of bacterium that’s present in the blood and tissues from plague patients, further succeeding in isolating samples and cultivating in culture. In time they managed to link the bacterium to that of the bacterium in dead rats showing that both are the same. As time went on both Kitasato and Yersin gathered sufficient research to produce the first important breakthrough relating to combating plague. Much of the success was do wn to the improved medical knowledge and technology resulting