About five to fifteen cases of plague in humans occur each year in the western United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Plague, or the "black death," killed an estimated one-third of Europeans during the 14th century. It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which are found mostly in rats and fleas that feed off of them. The disease can spread to people through bites from infected fleas or rodents. There are three forms of the disease: the bubonic plague, septicemic plague and pneumonic plague. Bubonic plague is characterized by inflammation of the tonsils, adenoids, spleen and thymus, causing symptoms like fever, aches, chills and swollen, tender lymph glands (called buboes). Septicemic plague occurs when the Yersinia bacteria multiply in the blood, potentially leading to fever, chills, internal bleeding and shock
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 22:41:22 +0000
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