Plague is one of the most dangerous and deadly infectious diseases in the world, it can affect both humans and animals. It is caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria. This bacteria is transmitted to people, through the bite of fleas from infected rodents. Being recognized by medicine, as the oldest and most aggressive of all bacterial diseases.
It is estimated that in Europe, during the Middle Ages, hundreds of millions of people died from this disease. Even today and despite a considerable decrease in this condition, due to an increase in hygiene and in the manufacture of antibiotics; Small foci still persist on all continents, with the exception of Australia.
The three best known types of plague are:
The bubonic plague: it was the most frequent in medieval Europe, it was known as the black plague and it was produced by the bite of an infected flea. Once the bacteria enter the body, it travels through the lymphatic system, until it reaches the nearest lymph node, where it reproduces. This causes an infection in the ganglion, which causes an extremely painful stiffness of the tissue, called a "bubo."
Pulmonary plague: considered the most lethal and least common that exists. Generally, pulmonary plague originates when bubonic reaches the lungs, during the most advanced stage of the disease. The spread occurs when the infected person expels (by coughing) droplets of saliva that can reach any healthy person who is around them.
Septicemic plague: It originates when the infection spreads through the bloodstream, after the person has been bitten by a flea or by having had some type of contact with infectious material.
Once the person is infected with plague, it can take between 2 and 8 days to present symptoms, however if the plague is pulmonary, it can take 1 day to manifest itself.
Symptoms of bubonic plague include: fever, muscle aches, headache, malaise, painful swollen glands, seizures.
The symptoms of pulmonary plague are: excessive cough, breathing problems and chest pain, coughing up blood, fever.
The symptoms of septicemic plague are: fever, nausea, abdominal pain, bleeding, diarrhea, vomiting.
In order to diagnose the disease, specialists recommend performing the following tests: blood culture, sputum culture and aspirated culture of the lymph nodes.
To treat this disease , antibiotics are recommended, as well as intravenous fluids and respiratory assistance.
It is important to note that patients infected with pulmonary plague must be isolated. According to statistics, there is a 50% chance of living, if treated in time.
