How contagious is bubonic plague?
The plague is highly contagious and therefore belongs to the quarantine diseases. People affected by plague must be isolated, as well as people who have had contact with plague sufferers. Transmission occurs from infected animals, fleas, ticks and other parasites to humans, and from human to human. If bubonic plague causes pneumonic plague, this means that the plague bacteria can even be transmitted by droplet infection, i.e. by coughing or moist speech of sick people. The bubonic plague is therefore a particularly highly infectious disease.
Treatment of bubonic plague
The bubonic plague is a disease caused by bacteria and must therefore be treated with antibiotics. The therapy consists of tetracyclines, suflonamides, quinolones, cotrimoxazol and spreptomycin. In case of plague meningitis, the antibiotic chloramphenicol is used, a so-called reserve antibiotic. There is a good chance of recovery if treatment is given early.
Diagnosis of the Beuelenpest
The diagnosis of bubonic plague is made on the basis of the clinical symptoms of the patient and the presence of the pathogen. The pathogen Yersinia pestis can be detected by collecting samples of blood, saliva or from the plague bumps. Under the microscope or grown in a culture, the pathogen can be visualized.
Prognosis for bubonic plague
The chances of recovery are very good with an early treatment of bubonic plague. If those affected take rapidly effective antibiotics, the number of deaths decreases to one to five percent. If the antibiotics are taken later than 15 hours after the onset of bubonic plague, the prognosis is much worse. Without any treatment, bubonic plague leads to death due to complications such as pneumonic plague and pestilence in almost 100% of those affected. It is therefore extremely important to diagnose bubonic plague early and to treat it immediately with the right antibiotics.
Course of disease
The course of the disease in bubonic plague is strongly dependent on the form in which the disease occurs. Most cases start suddenly and violently and progress progressively. Without proper antibiotic therapy, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause plague sepsis.
A pneumonic plague or plague meningitis can develop and be life-threatening. In addition, lighter courses are possible. Abortive plague is a mild form of the disease.
Those affected usually only suffer from low fever and a slight swelling of the lymph nodes. If at all, only a plague lump develops.
