Yersinia pestis infection (patient information): Difference between revisions
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== What are the symptoms of Yersinia pestis infection? == | == What are the symptoms of Yersinia pestis infection? == | ||
[[Plague]] symptoms depend on how the patient was exposed to the plague bacteria. Plague can take different clinical forms, but the most common are bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. | [[Plague]] symptoms depend on how the patient was exposed to the plague bacteria. Plague can take different clinical forms, but the most common are bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. | ||
Bubonic [[ | ===Bubonic Plague=== | ||
[[Symptoms]] appear suddenly, usually after 2 - 5 days of exposure to the [[bacteria]], and may include: | |||
* Sudden onset of [[fever]] | * Sudden onset of [[fever]] | ||
* Malaise | * Malaise | ||
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:* Pain may occur in the area before the swelling appears | :* Pain may occur in the area before the swelling appears | ||
Pneumonic | ===Pneumonic plague=== | ||
Symptoms appear suddenly, typically 2 - 3 days after exposure, and may include: | |||
* [[Cough]] | * [[Cough]] | ||
* [[Difficulty breathing]] | * [[Difficulty breathing]] | ||
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* Severe [[cough]] | * Severe [[cough]] | ||
Septicemic | ===Septicemic plague=== | ||
This type may cause death even before its symptoms occur. Symptoms can include: | |||
* [[Abdominal pain]] | * [[Abdominal pain]] | ||
* Bleeding due to blood clotting problems | * Bleeding due to blood clotting problems | ||
Revision as of 20:31, 23 July 2014
For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here
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Yersinia pestis infection |
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Yersinia pestis infection On the Web |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Yersinia pestis infection |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]
Overview
Plague is a severe and potentially deadly bacterial infection.
What are the symptoms of Yersinia pestis infection?
Plague symptoms depend on how the patient was exposed to the plague bacteria. Plague can take different clinical forms, but the most common are bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic.
Bubonic Plague
Symptoms appear suddenly, usually after 2 - 5 days of exposure to the bacteria, and may include:
- Sudden onset of fever
- Malaise
- Headache
- Chills
- Weakness
- Muscle pain
- Seizures
- One or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes):
- Commonly found in the groin, but may occur in the armpits or neck, most often at the site of the infection (bite or scratch)
- Pain may occur in the area before the swelling appears
Pneumonic plague
Symptoms appear suddenly, typically 2 - 3 days after exposure, and may include:
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Frothy, bloody sputum
- Pain in the chest when you breathe deeply
- Severe cough
Septicemic plague
This type may cause death even before its symptoms occur. Symptoms can include:
- Abdominal pain
- Bleeding due to blood clotting problems
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
What causes Yersinia pestis infection?
Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Rodents, such as rats, carry the disease. It is spread by their fleas. People can get the plague when they are bitten by a flea that carries the plague bacteria from an infected rodent. In rare cases, you may get the disease when handling an infected animal. A plague lung infection called pneumonic plague can spread from human to human. When someone with pneumonic plague coughs, tiny droplets carrying the bacteria move through the air. Anyone who breathes in these particles may catch the disease. An epidemic may be started this way. In the Middle Ages in Europe, massive plague epidemics killed millions of people. plague can still be found in Africa, Asia, and South America. Today, plague is rare in the United States, but it has been known to occur in parts of California, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. There three most common forms of plague are:
- Bubonic plague -- an infection of the lymph nodes
- Pneumonic plague -- an infection of the lungs
- Septicemic plague -- an infection of the blood
The time between being infected and developing symptoms is typically 2 to 7 days, but may be as short as 1 day for pneumonic plague. Risk factors for plague include a recent flea bite and exposure to rodents, especially rabbits, squirrels, or prairie dogs, or scratches or bites from infected domestic cats.
Who is at highest risk?
People can get the plague when they are bitten by a flea that carries the plague bacteria from an infected rodent. In rare cases, you may get the disease when handling an infected animal.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if you develop plague symptoms after exposure to fleas or rodents, especially if you live in or have visited an area where plague occurs.
Diagnosis
Tests that may be done include:
- Blood culture
- Culture of lymph node aspirate (fluid taken from an affected lymph node or bubo)
- Sputum culture
Treatment options
People with the plague need immediate treatment. If treatment is not received within 24 hours of when the first symptoms occur, death may occur. Antibiotics such as streptomycin, gentamicin, doxycycline, or ciprofloxacin are used to treat plague. Oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support usually are also needed. Patients with pneumonic plague should be strictly isolated from caregivers and other patients. People who have had contact with anyone infected by pneumonic plague should be watched carefully and given antibiotics as a preventive measure.
Where to find medical care for Yersinia pestis infection?
Directions to Hospitals Treating Yersinia pestis infection
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Without treatment, about 50% of people with bubonic plague die. Almost all people with pneumonic plague die if not treated. Treatment reduces the death rate to 50%.
Possible complications
It can lead to pneumonia, spread of infection through blood to whole body (septicemia), shock and even death if left untreated.