1. Developed by SHS Science Department
Bubonic Plague
Developed by SHS Science Department

2. Academic Task #1 – Lecture and Cornell Notes on the Bubonic Plague (Webb’s Level 1)
Take out a sheet of paper
Take Cornell Notes on the following slides
Be prepared to answer questions based on slides

3. What causes plague? Plague caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis,
Transmitted from infected animals to humans, usually by fleas.
May be transmitted from humans to others by:
direct contact
Touching; or
breathing droplets that contain the bacterium

4. Academic Task #2 - Answer the following questions (Webb’s Level 1)
What causes a plague and what’s the scientific name?
How is a plague transferred from an animal to a person?
How is a plague transferred from one person to another person?

5. Yersinia pestis

6. Yersinia pestis

7. Academic Task #3 – Continue with Cornell Notes on the Bubonic Plague (Webb’s Level 1)
Continue to take notes because you will be asked to do something else with the material soon.

8. Rodents can be infected with Y. pestis.
Fleas transmit the plague bacteria to humans.

9. Types of Plague
Symptoms of plague vary and are grouped into three types:
Bubonic:
lymph nodes become swollen, tender, and are termed buboes
Patient develops fever, chills, and weakness. This is what is known as bubonic plague.

10. Bubonic Plague buboes

11. Types of Plague (cont.)
Symptoms of plague vary and are grouped into three types:
Septicemic:
Generally, patients DO NOT develop buboes
Symptoms may include fever, chills, weakness, bleeding under the skin, abdominal pain, and septic shock with low blood pressure.

12. Types of Plague (cont.)
Symptoms of plague vary and are grouped into three types:
Pneumonic:
Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough (sometimes with bloody sputum), and chest pain quickly develop along with weakness, fever, and headaches.

13. How do people diagnose a plague?
Diagnosis – to determine what’s wrong with the person
Symptoms appear 2-5 days after exposure.
Preliminarily diagnosed by physical examination, by cultures of blood, or other sites
Definitive diagnosis
done by immunological tests that identify Y. pestis specifically
Immunological tests – tests on the system that protects you from disease, your immune system

14. How does plague get treated?
Death occurs in about 50%-90% of all people who develop infection with Y. pestis and are not treated
With treatment, about 15% of infected people will still die
Antibiotics used to treat plague include streptomycin, gentamicin, and tetracyclines among others

15. How does one prevent getting the plague?
Prevention of plague is done by
Eliminating areas where animals, especially rodents, congregate
Avoiding the fleas the rodents carry
Some infections can be prevented by taking antibiotics soon after exposure to the disease.
There are no commercially available vaccines against plague
There is a small amount available from the U.S. government for researchers that work with Y. pestis.

16. Academic Task #4 - Answer the following questions (Webb’s Level 1)
What are the three different types of plague?
What percentage of people die of plague without treatment?
What percentage of people die of plague with treatment?
How do you prevent getting the plague?

17. Academic Task #5 – Movie (Webb’s Level 2)
Watch the short segments on the following 4 slides .
Answer the following question:
What are the concepts that applied to the exchange of the bubonic plague in ancient Europe?