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How did the Black Death spread from person to person?
The Black Death is believed to have been the result of plague, an infectious fever caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The disease was likely transmitted from rodents to humans by the bite of infected fleas.
Is the bubonic plague airborne?
Yersinia pestisis a gram negative, bacillus shaped bacteria that prefers to reside in an environment lacking oxygen (anaerobic). It is typically an organism that uses the process of fermentation to break down complex organic molecules to metabolize.
Why did the plague spread so quickly?
Genesis. The Black Death was an epidemic which ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1400. It was a disease spread through contact with animals (zoonosis), basically through fleas and other rat parasites (at that time, rats often coexisted with humans, thus allowing the disease to spread so quickly).
Why did the black plague spread so fast?
As such, the plague is a zoonosis, an illness that passes from animals to humans. Infection spread easily because the rats were drawn to human activity, especially the food supplies kept in barns, mills, and homes. (Today the plague is spreading among mountain lions in Yellowstone.)
How dangerous is bubonic plague?
It can be deadly if not treated promptly with antibiotics. The most common form of plague results in swollen and tender lymph nodes — called buboes — in the groin, armpits or neck. The rarest and deadliest form of plague affects the lungs, and it can be spread from person to person.
Why did the bubonic plague spread so rapidly?
According to some scholars, the Black Death spread so quickly because the bacterium causing it has become airborne. In some cases, the infection would spread to the lungs, resulting in pneumonia. The victim would start coughing up blood, making transmission of the bacterium airborne, allowing it to spread much faster than fleas.
Who is most susceptible to the bubonic plague?
In the United States, most cases of plague occur in whites. Native Americans living in endemic areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah have a 10-fold greater risk of acquiring the disease than non–Native Americans.
What are diseases caused the bubonic plague?
Winde. Winde is listed throughout the Bills as a constant cause of death.