2. The
“Black DeaTh”
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• The Plague is
famous for
causing the
Black Death
pandemic.
• In The
Fourteenth
century it wiped
out an
estimated third
of Europe’s
population.
3. The Plague is caused by the
bacteria Yersinia Pestis
It is believed to have originated in
Mongolia
The bacteria was carried along
trade routes by merchants, and
eventually spread to the
Mediterranean and Europe
What Is the PLaGUe?
A microscopic picture of the yersinia pestis bacteria
4. hoW Is It sPread?
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• The plague is
spread mostly
through rodent
fleas carried by
rats
• Rat infestations in
medieval Europe
are what caused
the Black Death
pandemic
• The most common
cause of plague is
rodent
infestations due to
poor sanitation
• In late stages of
infection, plague is
communicable by
coughing
5. In early stages, the plague infects the lymphatic
system, causing fever, aches, and the characteristic
buboes to form on the neck, armpit, and groin.
Later, the infection spreads to the circulatory system,
causing severe sepsis of body tissues, diarrhea and
vomiting
Infection can also spread the the respiratory system,
where it becomes airbourne and causes a bloody
cough
symptoms
7. Plague
Today
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• The plague still
exists in rodent
populations
worldwide, and
rarely affects
humans
• The Plague is
easily treated
with common
antibiotics
• The most
effective way to
prevent Plague is
to practice basic
sanittation
8. The Plague is present
in Southwestern
United States, but
nowhere else in the
country
There is still some
dissention over
whether Yersinia
Pestis was the cause of
the Black Plague
QuesTions?
“Bring out your dead!”