• The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

• The plague can be divided into three types; bubonic plague which basically affects the lymph nodes, septicemic plague which affects the blood, and pneumonic plague which is an infection of the lungs.

• The bacteria is carried by rodent fleas that pass it on to rodents

This is the oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis). The big spot in the abdomen is blood.

Image courtesy of CDC

Transmission

1 - 6 days following exposure

Effects

• The main indicator is a painful, swollen, hot-to-touch lymph node called bubo

Image courtesy of CDC

• Fever
• Extreme exhaustion
• If untreated, the plague can lead to a blood infection and then to a lung infection called pneumonic plague.

Mortality

Bubonic and septicemic plagues are ~16% in untreated patients

Pneumonic plague is ~100% fatal in untreated patients

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© 2003 Jay Farmer, J.P. Oehrtman, and Tim Maluvac. All rights reserved, except for the images, which retain their own copyrights.

This site is designed by Jay Farmer, J.P. Oehrtman, and Tim Maluvac for MBI 699.W.

Last modified: August 7, 2003

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