Plague

Definition

A rare zoonotic disease characterized by life-threatening, highly contagious and rapidly progressing infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis, affecting rodents, and transmitted to human accidentally. It manifests differently depending on the route of infection. Bubonic plague results from the bite of an infected rodent flea. Pneumonic plague, less frequent but more dangerous, may arise through inhalation of infectious droplets or spread of bubonic plague to the lungs. Septicemic plague occurs from dissemination into the bloodstream, either as a primary infection or as a complication of bubonic or pneumonic forms, leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation, necrosis, and multi-organ failure.