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  • Essay / Microbial Disease Report: Plague

    Plague is one of the most recognizable and culturally significant diseases in the world. The plague (or Yersinia Pestis) has become so ubiquitous that the term colloquially refers to any contagious disease that spreads quickly and is incredibly deadly. Yet, even given its tremendous impact on humanity, many people still do not understand this disease. In this report, I would like to clarify what plague is in more detail, including: the different forms it can take, its various signs and symptoms, its history and current threat, and the available methods we have to treat it. After the report is completed, I will also seek to answer some of my own questions regarding the disease. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Plague is caused by bodily infection by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis. It is classified as a Gram-negative bacteria that generally takes the form of a coccobacillus (or oblong sphere). Yersinia Pestis is a facultative anaerobic organism, meaning it can survive with or without the presence of oxygen. A Yersinia Pestis infection can manifest in three different ways depending on the organ system it invades. Bubonic plague is the most common variant of the disease. Eighty percent of cases are characterized as bubonic, but despite its prevalence, this type of plague infection has a 50% mortality rate if left untreated, representing the lowest mortality rate of the three. Bubonics is characterized as an infection of the lymph nodes by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis. These swollen lymph nodes form large abscesses called buboes that form on the surface of the skin, usually near the groin. The most common way to get bubonic plague is to be bitten by a flea infected with Yersinia Pestis and cause the bacteria to travel through the lymphatic system until it reaches a nearby lymph node and begins to grow . Rodents tend to carry infected fleas, but they have also been found on other animals. If the immune system cannot stop the disease from continuing to develop, then it can overpower the lymph nodes and eventually enter the bloodstream where it can cause secondary infections in the lungs (called pneumonic plague) or in the blood (called septicemic plague). ).Symptoms of bubonic plague can develop within 2 to 6 days after initial exposure to the bacteria. These symptoms can include: swollen and painful buboes, high fever and chills, muscle pain and fatigue, headaches and even seizures. Symptoms will usually manifest as defensive measures by the immune system to try to isolate and destroy the bacteria, but infected body tissues can often be overwhelmed without the aid of antimicrobials. Pneumonic plague is the rarest form of the disease and the second rarest. the deadliest, 90% of people who contract it risk dying if they are not treated. It is also the most contagious variant of the disease. Pneumonic plague occurs when the bacteria Yersinia Pestis infects the lungs. This can occur as a secondary infection from bubonic plague, septicemic plague, or from someone else who has contracted pneumonic plague. This happens when an infected person coughs and transmits the bacteria into the air where someone else can inhale it and subsequently contract it. Symptoms of the plague,.