RT Book, Section
A1 Kugeler, Kiersten J.
A2 Boulton, Matthew L.
A2 Wallace, Robert B.
SR Print(0)
ID 1182667527
T1 Plague
T2 Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 16e
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw Hill
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259644511
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182667527
RD 2024/04/18
AB Plague  is  a  highly  virulent  zoonosis  that  has  claimed  hundreds  of  millions  of  lives  over  recorded  history.1–3  The  etiologic  agent,  Yersinia  pestis,  persists  in  complex  enzootic  cycles  of  rodents  and  fleas  in  discrete  geographic  foci  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  the  Americas.  Humans  are  incidental  hosts,  most  often  infected  by  flea  bites,  but  also  by  direct  contact  with  infected  animal  tissues  or  inhalation  of  infectious  respiratory  droplets.  The  clinical  syndrome  varies  with  route  of  inoculation  of  the  bacterium,  resulting  in  three  primary  clinical  forms,  bubonic,  septicemic,  and  pneumonic  plague.  Although  most  cases  of  plague  are  sporadic  and  effective  therapy  exists,  periodic  outbreaks  can  generate  fear  among  the  public,  driven  by  misinformation.  Plague  remains  a  persistent  public  health  concern  due  to  its  rapid  clinical  course,  high  mortality,  and  potential  for  epidemic  spread.  Y.  pestis  is  currently  classified  as  a  Tier  1  select  agent,  subject  to  high-level  regulation  and  oversight,  due  to  both  its  past  and  potential  use  as  a  bioweapon.4