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Introduction: Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis. People usually get plague from being bitten by a rodent flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an infected animal. Millions of people in Europe died from plague in the Middle Ages, when human homes and places of work were inhabited by flea-infested rats. Today, modern antibiotics are effective against plague, but if an infected person is not treated promptly, the disease is likely to cause illness or death.
References: Gage KL. Plague. In: Colliers L, Balows A, Sussman M, Hausles WJ, eds. Topley and Wilsons microbiology and microbiological infections, vol 3. London: Edward Arnold Press, 1998:885-903. Campbell GL, Dennis DT. Plague and other Yersinia infections. In: Kasper DL, et al; eds. Harrisons principles of internal medicine. 14th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998:975-83. Bahmanyar M, Cavanaugh DC. Plague Manual. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1976. Perry RD, Fetherston JD. Yersinia pestis--etiologic agent of plague. Clin Microbiol Rev, 1997;10:35-66. Butler T. Plague and other Yersinia infections. New York, Plenum Press, 1983. |
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