Plague is a severe, and potentially deadly, zoonotic infection. It is caused by the organism Yersinia pestis. Wild rodents, like rats, spread the disease to humans. There are three types of plague:- bubonic plague, septicemic plague and pneumonic plague. Bubonic plague causes infection of the lymph nodes and is characterized by fever, chills, malaise, muscular pain, haedache and seizures. Septicemic plague causes infection of the blood and produces symptoms such as fever, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Pneumonic plague is an infection of lungs and causes severe cough, frothy and bloody sputum, and difficulty breathing. Patients with the plague need immediate treatment withing 24 hours of initial symptom development, or it can cause even death. |