Pneumonic plague is a form of plague. Under these circumstances, these forms can occur singly or in combination:

Pneumonic plague is a form of plague. Under these circumstances, these forms can occur singly or in combination:

* Pneumonic plague occurs when Y. pestis infects the lungs. This type of plague can spread from person to person through the air. The transmission can occur when someone breathes in the bacteria in aerosol form, which occur while that in the case of a biological attack. Pneumonic plague is also affected by the inhalation of Y. Dissemination pestis suspended by droplets from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague. Infected in this way usually requires direct and close contact with sick people or animals are. Pneumonic plague can also occur when a person with bubonic, septicemic, or untreated and the bacteria spread to the lungs.

* The bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. This occurs when an infected person, or a flea bites when materials contaminated by the bacterium Yersinia pestis enter through a break in the skin of a person. The patients develop buboes, swollen, tender lymph nodes (called), and fever, headache, chills and weakness. Bubonic plague is not spread from person to person.

* The plague septicemic plague occurs when bacteria multiply in the blood. It can be a complication of pneumonic or bubonic plague or it can occur by itself. If it appears alone, it is by the same means as the bubonic plague, boils, but does not cause development. Patients have fever, chills, weakness, abdominal pain, shock and bleeding into the skin and other organs. The Septicaemic plague is not spread from person to person.

Symptoms and Treatment

Pneumonic plague, the first signs of the disease include fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. Pneumonia increased by 2 to 4 days and can cause respiratory failure and shock. Without early treatment, the patients in May

Early treatment of pneumonic plague is essential. To reduce the risk of death, antibiotics must be administered within 24 hours after the first symptoms. Streptomycin, gentamicin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol are effective against pneumonic plague.

Treatment with antibiotics for 7 days to protect people who live in close contact with live infected patients were. Wearing a surgical mask, close connection protects against infection.

A vaccine against plague is currently not available for use in the United States.