The Black Death: genomics and climate Flashcards
what are the differences between symptoms of modern plague and black death/justinian plagues?
modern plague has single bubo, apathy, stupor, depression
old plagues had multiple buboes and black pustules. hysteria, extreme thirst, pain, headache, vomiting
differences between transmission in modern and old plagues?
modern: slow rate, rarely communicated person-person, associated with grain trade, no age/sex discrimination
old: fast rate of transmission, person-person, rats not always present, some countries in grain trade spared, most outbreaks affected children
what disease is very similar to the the plague?
ebola
based on DNA phylogenetic analysis, where did plague spread?
italy to the north, up to england
which pandemic of plague do we NOT know the pathogen for?
Justinian. too long ago.
true/false: the plague of Justinian gave rise to later plague outbreaks
false. it was independent. The Black death was a separate emergence of Y.pestis.
where is the plague common today in NA?
the southwestern USA
describe the discovery process of Y.pestis
discovered 1896
harboured by wild rodents (zoonotic). human disease occurs and disrupts cycle of transmission between rodents
where is plague NOT today?
europe
what are the vectors of plague?
rodents
fleas/louse
what are the 3 patterns of plague transmission in humans
bubonic
pneumonic
septicemic
bubonic transmission
animal to human: no person to person
50% mortality rate if untreated
incubation period 1-6 days
pneumonic plague transmission
highly transmissible person-person
bloody sputum
high fatality rate
septicemic plague transmission
secondary pneumonic form that enters the blood
near 100% fatality
