Yersinia Pneumonic Plague

Within weeks of the plague hitting it killed millions of people sweeping out ⅓ of Europe.(Shapiro 38). (SIP-B) The black plague had two different types of plagues that affected many people together. The two plagues that affected people were the bubonic plague and pneumonic plague. The pneumonic and bubonic had some differences and similarities but the biggest similarity of all was the factor of death. (STEWE-1) The bubonic plague was the plague that spread by a bite from a rat flea that was carrying the disease. So the only way you could be affected by the bubonic plague was from a flea bite that had bitten a rat that spread the disease (“The Black Death"). (STEWE-2) The pneumonic plague was where the bacteria of the black plague spread through the air that would cause an infection in the lungs, making it hard to breathe. The pneumonic plague was easier to contract than the bubonic plague because if you were to breathe in air an infected person with the black plague had recently coughed, it would be more than likely for you to contract the plague (“The Black

History’s Turning Points: The Black Death described what the Black Death (also commonly called the plague) was and how it spread. The Black Death was a deadly disease epidemic that occurred from 1348 to 1350. It started in Central Asia and eventually spread to Europe. In just two short years, the disease had taken the lives of over 20 million people. The disease was caused by infected fleas which were carried and spread by black rats. At this point in time, no one knew that the rats carried the disease. These infected rats eventually boarded merchant ships. These merchant ships then unknowingly spread the disease by transporting the stowaway black rats during their travels. Italian merchants who were escaping the war in Central Asia, were thought to be the first to accidentally transport the disease to Europe on their ships. After a few days of traveling, many sailors became ill and began to die. Once the ships arrived in Europe and it became known there were sick and dead sailors on board, many port cities tried to refuse their entry. The cities were trying to shield themselves from the disease. Eventually, the ships were able to dock for a short while, which is all the time the rats needed to escape to shore. Once in Europe, the disease spread quickly just as it had in Central Asia.

Fleas would travel from one host to another breeding and expanding to all realms of Europe (The Black Death, a Bubonic Plague of Great Dimension) Sanitation was a serious problem within Europe and the lack of proper care escalated the rodent problem even farther.

The Black Death was one of the most life-changing pandemics in history. It was first discovered 550 years later in the 1800s by Alexandre Yersin, a french biologist. In his honor, the plague was named Yersinia Pestis. The plague traveled in two major ways. Yersin discovered that it traveled by infected fleas; the flea would attempt to feed on a human or animal and would then regurgitate the disease into the new host, further spreading the illness. Urban areas across Europe were populous with rats, which were one of the main hosts of the plague. These rodents spread the Black Death throughout cities in days. The unaffected still were not safe if they did not come in contact with an infected flea or rat. The plague also traveled pneumonically, or through the air. It caused large boils full of blood and pus, which would pop and spread. Another symptom was coughing, which was one of the many ways of proliferation. The disease eventually spread throughout Europe and killed a third of it’s population. It’s wrath caused many shortages, loss in hope, riots, and even some good things, such as many changes in art, science, and education. Therefore, the Black Death was one of the most life-changing pandemics in history.

The black death arrived in Europe in October of 1347. It was brought by twelve Genoese trading ships that docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a lengthy expedition through the Black Sea. The people that were gathered on the docks to meet the twelve ships were greeted with a terrifying surprise: the majority of the sailors that were on they ship were dead, and the ones that were still alive were somberly ill. They had fevers, were unable to hold down food, and were delirious from pain. They were covered with big black boils that oozed pus and blood. The illness was named the “Black Death” because of the black boils.

What is the plague? The plague or referred to as the Black Death, according to the CDC (2015), “is a disease that affects humans and other mammals and caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. Humans usually get plague after being bitten by a rodent flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an animal infected with plague”. There are three categories of a plague. There is the bubonic plague, which is the most common form. With this form bacteria infects the lymph system and causes it to become inflamed. Symptoms of this type of plague are fever, headache, chills, and swollen and tender lymph nodes, which are called buboes. Then there is the Septicemic, which occurs when the bacteria multiply in the blood. Symptoms of this type of plague are fever, chills, extreme weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and possibly bleeding into the skin and other organs. Also, skin and other tissues may turn black and die, especially fingers, toes and the nose (CDC, 2015). Then there is the Pneumonic Plague, which is the most serious form of plague and occurs when Y. pestis bacteria infect the lungs and cause pneumonia (NIH, 2015). This is the only form of the plague that can be transmitted human to human. Symptoms of this form of the plague are ever, headache, weakness, and a rapidly

Causing so many deaths this disease will forever be known as the Black Death. The Black Plague, also known as the Black death, came to Europe in 1347 and ended in 1351. There are many different stories about how the Black Plague came to be. Some people believe that the black plague was spread by sailors coming from a journey through the Black Sea. They were heading to a port in the Mediterranean to trade their goods. When the boat docked, many people went towards the boat to see what these men had brought. To their surprise, almost all of the sailors were dead; those who were not dead were extremely sick. Boils that oozed blood and pus were all over their bodies, along with other symptoms including

The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic plague, was a serious pandemic that killed more than one-third of Europe’s population. Between 1347-1352, the Black Death had “reportedly killed more than 20 million people.” The plague originated from Asia before traveling throughout Europe and the Mediterranean by fleas infested rats transported through ships. The infested ships had then landed in European ports such as the following: “Genoa, Venice, Messina, and other more.” Thus, the starting the pandemic by the spreading of the highly contagious bacterial infection disease around Europe along with their imports and exports.

In October 1347, twelve Genoese trading ships sailed to the port of Messina having with them a certain, unexpected disease known as The Black Death. Many sailors were already dead, some alive but close to death. Beginning with what they had from the plague were huge boils that oozed blood and pus. Onto the future, The Black Death spread all through Europe and killed more than 20 million people. Rumors had been spread which everyone called "A great Perstilence .

During the 14th century, there was a terrible disease/illness that effected Europe in a very bad way. In the 1300, there was a plague going around called bubonic. This plague was cause by fleas on rodents, but they were usually rats. The disease/illness could easily be passed on, that is the reason for why it affected Europe and it's economy in such a terrible way.

The Black Plague or Black Death was an outbreak of a disease that was spread through rats, feces, fleas, and physical contact. The epidemic began in China, where, during wars, soldiers hurled infected bodies at Italian soldiers, consequently the physical contact. The Italians would go back home on their ships, which was infested with rats and fleas. Unknowingly, they would spread the newfound disease amongst those they came into contact with when they returned to Italy. In the spring of 1348, the disease reached Italy and began to spread like wildfire. Three years later, the Plague had already taken 25%-50% of Europe’s population. The Black Plague was so devastating due to the ignorance of it, trade routes, and fear.

The pandemic known to history as the Black Death was one of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. It was a critical time for many as the plague hit Europe and “devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25%-50% of Europe’s population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes.” The plague made an unforgettable impact on the history of the West. It is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of central Asia in the 1330s and then spread westwards along the caravan routes. It spread over Europe like a wildfire and left a devastating mark wherever it passed. In its first few weeks in Europe, it killed between 100 and 200 people per day. Furthermore, as the weather became colder, the plague worsened, escalating the mortality rate to as high as 750 deaths per day. By the spring of 1348, the death toll may have reached 1000 a day. One of the main reasons the plague spread so quickly and had such a devastating effect on Europe was ultimately due to the lack of medical knowledge during the medieval time period.

While others, were only effected by direct contact. It was thought to have been sustainable by even touching clothing or other such items of the infected. Conditions of the fourteenth century were also a contributing factor. Famine had been an arising issue due to the number of overpopulation. Because of this, their immune systems began to weaken. “Europeans were susceptible to disease because many people lived in crowded surroundings in an era when personal hygiene was not considered important” (Dowling). The cities were unsanitary and littered with germs, making it easier to sustain such diseases. Unhealthy habits were conducted and medical advances had not yet been made. Doctors themselves had not known what to advise. No prescriptions had worked. There was no cure to what was happening. Most were not even aware of what was impending upon them. Anything that could would be tried, in hopes of living. People were becoming desperate.

There are three types of plague disease and each one of them has different symptoms. The first type of plague disease, the most popular type of disease, called Bubonic plague. According to Patient Care & Health Information in Mayo Clinic, its symptoms start to appear with less than 10 days after someone got bitten by an infected flea. The symptoms start with buboes, swollen lymph nodes, appear in some places in the body like neck, groin, or armpit. Also, buboes’ size is almost like a chicken egg size. A headache, muscle ache, chills and fever are the other sings of this type of disease (2015). The other type of plague disease is a result of plague bacteria multiplies in the blood which known as Septicemic plague. According to CDC, shock,

The Bubonic Plague and a variation called the septicemic plague was spread throughout Europe by oriental rats that carried infected fleas. Little is known to why the infection never seemed to affect the carrier rats. Infected fleas were being starved by the infection, so they began feasting upon the people they came into contact with. These fleas coming into contact with any human being would infect the human with the disease. These people were now carriers of the Bubonic plague or Black Death. These infected people would then spread the disease by coughing or coming into direct contact with another human being. However, this disease, since not being transmitted via rat would now be called the Pneumonic Plague. (www.insecta-inspecta.com).