Bubonic and pneumonic plague are caused by the bacterium Yersina pestis and this results in high fever and much pain. The pneumonic plague affects respiratory organs and the bubonic plague is an infection of the lymphatic system. They can now be cured if they are diagnosed within 24 hours. Pneumonic plague can be spread person-to-person. This is why it is especially dangerous.
The common symptom of pneumonic plague is coughing. The person may also cough up blood. With pneumonic plague, the first signs of illness are fever, headache, chest pain and cough. This progresses for two to four days and may cause respiratory failure and possibly shock. Patients will die without early treatment. Bubonic plague symptoms appear suddenly, about 2–5 days after exposure to the bacteria.
They result usually from a bite of an infected flea. Some symptoms are high fever, muscle cramps, seizures, and skin colour changes. The disease can be transmitted to other animals or humans by direct contact with infected tissue or exposure to the cough of another human. The bacteria remain harmless to the flea, though.
