The bubonic plague: what it is, what are the causes, why it came back from the past

1. Alessandro C.
This presentation was created by a student from technical institute
Class 2a
Biology

2. SOURCES
Wikipedia
abcNEWS
Madagascar WHO
The Black Death
BBC news
VICE – Return
Bioweapon
Plague
www.wikipedia.org
www.abcnews.go.com
http://www.who.int/
www.independent.co.uk
www.news.bbc.co.uk
www.vice.com
www.ilgiornale.it
www.epicentro.iss.it
NAME: SITE:
Biology

3. SUMMARY
Bubonic plague, introduction
Signs and symptoms
Cause
Treatment
History
Return
Curiosity
Biology

4. BUBONIC PLAGUEIntroduction

5. Bubonic Plague, IN GENERAL
Bubonic plague is one of three types of bacterial
infection caused by Yersinia pestis. Three to seven days
after exposure to the bacteria, flu like
symptoms develop. This includes fever, headaches, and
vomiting.
Bubonic Plague, introduction

6. COMPLICATIONS
Swollen and painful lymph nodes occur in the area closest
to where the bacteria entered the skin. Occasionally the
swollen lymph nodes may break open.
A bubo on the upper thigh of person
infected with bubonic plague.
Lymph nodes = is an oval or kidney-shaped
organ of the lymphatic system, distributed
widely throughout the body including the
armpit and stomach
Bubonic Plague, introduction

7. CAUSED BY
The three types of plague are the result of the route of infection:
bubonic plague, septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague. Bubonic
plague is mainly spread by infected fleas from small animals. It may
also result from exposure to the body fluids from a dead plague
infected animal.
Bubonic Plague, introduction

8. In the bubonic form of
plague, the bacteria enter
through the skin through a
flea bite and travel via
the lymphatic vessels to
a lymph node, causing it to
swell. Diagnosis is by
finding the bacteria in the
blood, sputum, or fluid from
lymph nodes.
FLEA’S BITE
Bubonic Plague, introduction

9. PREVENTION
Prevention is through public health measures
such as not handling dead animals in areas
where plague is common.
There aren’tVACCINES for Plague Prevention
NOVACCINES,
YESTREATMENT
With treatment the
risk of death is
around 10%
Bubonic Plague, introduction

10. 70 million PEOPLE
Plague is believed to be the cause of the Black
Death that swept through Asia, Europe, and
Africa in the 14th century and killed an
estimated 70 million people.
FirstWorldWar
SecondWorldWar
Black Death
20
millions
60
millions 70
millions
Bubonic Plague, introduction

11. SIGNS AND
SYMPTOMS

12. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The best-known symptom of
bubonic plague is one or
more infected, enlarged,
and painful lymph nodes,
known as buboes. After
being transmitted via the
bite of an infected flea,
the Y. pestis bacteria
become localized in an
inflamed lymph node where
they begin to colonize and
reproduce.
Signs and Symptoms

13. Series of Illnesses
Because of its bite-based mode of transmission, the
bubonic plague is often the first of a progressive series
of illnesses. Bubonic plague symptoms appear
suddenly a few days after exposure to the bacterium
Signs and Symptoms

14. SYMPTOMS
Symptoms include:
o Chills
o General ill feeling (malaise)
o High fever (39 °C; 102 °F)
o Muscle cramps
o Seizures
o Smooth, painful lymph gland swelling called a bubo,
commonly found in the groin, but may occur in the armpits
or neck, most often near the site of the initial infection (bite
or scratch)
o Pain may occur in the area before the swelling appears
o Gangrene of the extremities such as toes, fingers, lips and
tip of the nose.
Signs and Symptoms

15. EXTREME SYMPTOMS
Other symptoms include heavy
breathing, continuous vomiting of
blood (hematemesis), aching limbs,
coughing, and extreme pain caused
by the decay or decomposition of
the skin while the person is still alive.
Extreme fatigue, gastrointestinal
problems, lenticulae (black dots
scattered throughout the body),
delirium, and coma.
Vocabulary:
Lenticulae =
blacks points throughout the body
Signs and Symptoms

16. CAUSEthe

17. IN PARTICULAR
Bubonic plague is an infection
of the lymphatic system,
usually resulting from the bite
of an infected flea, Xenopsylla
cheopis (the rat flea).
The Cause

18. RARE CIRCUMSTANCES
In very rare circumstances, as in the septicemic plague, the
disease can be transmitted by direct contact with infected
tissue or exposure to the cough of another human.
The Cause

19. TREATMENT

20. Treating BUBONIC PLAGUE
Treatment
Several classes of antibiotics are effective in treating bubonic plague.
These include amino glycosides such as streptomycin and gentamicin,
Tetracyclines (especially doxycycline), and the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin.
Mortality associated with treated cases of bubonic plague is about 1–15%,
compared to a mortality of 40–60% in untreated cases.
Descriptions:
Aminoglycosides = is a medicinal and bacteriologic category of traditional Gram-negative
antibacterial therapeutic agents that inhibit protein synthesis
Streptomycin = is an antibiotic
Gentamicin = aminoglycoside antibiotic
Tetracyclines = is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections
Fluoroquinolone ciprofloaxin = is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections.

21. Having PLAGUE
People potentially
infected with the plague
need immediate
treatment and should be
given antibiotics within
24 hours of the first
symptoms to prevent
death.
Treatment

22. Other TREATMENTS
Other treatments include oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory
support. People who have had contact with anyone infected by
pneumonic plague are given prophylactic antibiotics.
Using the broad-based antibiotic streptomycin has proven to be
dramatically successful against the bubonic plague within 12 hours
of infection.
Treatment

23. HISTORY
Outbreaks

24. ThirdFirst
Historic summary
History
Plague
Outbreaks
Second
EUROPE

25. FIRST
Started in 541 a.C. and Finished in 750 a.C.
The first recorded epidemic affected the Eastern Roman Empire
(Byzantine Empire) and was named the Plague of Justinian after
emperor Justinian I, who was infected but survived through extensive
treatment.
The pandemic resulted in the deaths of an estimated 25 million (6th
century outbreak) to 50 million people (two centuries of recurrence).
History

26. SECOND – the BLACK DEATH
Started in 1300 a.C. and Finisched in 1440 a.C.
In the Late Middle Ages (1340–1400) Europe experienced the most
deadly disease outbreak in history when the Black Death, the infamous
pandemic of bubonic plague, hit in 1347, killing a third of the human
population. It is believed that society subsequently became more violent
as the mass mortality rate cheapened life and thus increased warfare,
crime, popular revolt, waves of flagellants, and persecution.
History

27. THIRD and… not final?
The plague resurfaced for a third time in the mid-19th century. Like
the two previous outbreaks, this one also originated in Eastern Asia.
The initial outbreak occurred in China's Yunnan province in 1855. The
disease remained localized in Southwest China for several years
before spreading.
History

28. MOVIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySClB6-OH-Q
Watch a movie that
sums up what we said
History

29. RETURNthe

30. Introduction
The Black Death caused about 50 million deaths
across Africa, Asia and Europe in the 14th
Century. It wiped out up to half of Europe's
population.
The RETURN
USA
PERU’
REP. DEM. CONGO
MADAGASCAR

31. PLAGUE in MADACASCAR
WHO and Madagascar’s
Ministry of Health have
completed a second
investigation of the plague
situation in that country.The
investigation was further
supported by experts from
the Plague Central
Laboratory at the country’s
Institute Pasteur.
The RETURN
11 February 2015

32. Period
The outbreak, which began in September 2014 and
peaked from November through to end-December, has
slowed for the time being. However, the plague season
on the island continues until April
The RETURN

33. Plague in ANTANANARIVO
Evidence that the disease has gained a foothold
in slum areas of Antananarivo, the capital city,
reinforces the need for heightened vigilance. On
November 2014, 2 cases (1 probable, 1
confirmed) were detected there.
The RETURN

34. WORLDWIDE
Worldwide, the distribution of plague is geographically
localized to areas where conditions of landscape and
weather favour a high concentration of rodents and fleas.
The RETURN

35. Other Important Cases
I think that it’s very simple to talk about the countries
with poverty, dramatic situations and decadence…
So, we will talk about a very strange episode that
happened during last summer in one of the most
important countries in economic and social standing
The RETURN
The United States

36. Person to Person
Plague has a well-documented high epidemic
potential, especially in its pneumonic form,
which can spread directly from one person to
another via coughing.
The RETURN

37. Human Cases in US
There have been 15
cases in the US so far
this year - compared to
an average of seven,
according to the
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC) - and the figure
of four deaths is higher
than in any year this
century.
The RETURN

38. Bacterium
The bacterium responsible - Yersinia pestis - was
introduced to the US by rat-infested steamships
in 1900, according to Daniel Epstein of the World
Health Organization (WHO).
The RETURN

39. TIME AND PLACES
Most cases occur in summer, when people spend
more time outdoors.
The areas in question are New Mexico, Arizona,
California and Colorado, according to the CDC.
The RETURN

40. CURIOSITY

41. Curiosity
SOME FEARS
The plague has been classified as a "category A
bioweapon", he says. An average of seven cases
of plague per year is one thing, but the risk of
biological warfare, even if it's a remote one, is
quite another.

42. ISIS
The laptop's contents turn
out to be a treasure trove of
documents that provide
ideological justifications for
jihadi organizations - and
practical training on how to
carry out the Islamic State's
deadly campaigns.
Curiosity

43. FOUND
The ISIS laptop contains a 19-page document
in Arabic on how to develop biological
weapons and how to weaponize the bubonic
plague from infected animals.
Curiosity

44. The document says…
“The advantage of
biological weapons is
that they do not cost
a lot of money, while
the human casualties
can be huge.”
Curiosity

45. TEST the DISEASE
The document includes instructions for how to
test the weaponized disease safely, before it is
used in a terrorist attack. “When the microbe is
injected in small mice, the symptoms of the
disease should start to appear within 24 hours,”
Curiosity

46. SUMMARY
Actually we haven’t news. We don’t know if Isis
has discovered something more, if they can
make this weapon or if they will use it.
The only certainty that we have, is that the
plague isn’t a dead disease
Curiosity

47. THANKS FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION
School year 2015/2016