Pneumonic plague pathophysiology
Template:Pneumonic plague Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Pathophysiology
Pneumonic plague can be caused in two ways: primary, which results from the inhalation of aerosolised plague bacteria, or secondary, when septicemic plague spreads into lung tissue from the bloodstream. Pneumonic plague is not exclusively vector-borne like bubonic plague; instead it can be spread from person to person. There have been cases of pneumonic plague resulting from the dissection or handling of contaminated animal tissue. This is one type of the formerly known Black Death.[1] It could kill 90%–95% of a population if the victims coughed and passed on the bacteria.
References
- ↑ Benedictow, Ole Jørgen (2004). The Black Death, 1346-1353: the complete history. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-85115-943-5.