Biological Weapon - Plague 2005 Be Prepared What It Is Yersinia pestis, a rod-shaped, non-motile, non-sporulating, gram-negative, bipolar staining, facultative anaerobic bacterium. It causes plague, normally a zoonotic disease of rodents (e.g., rats, mice, ground squirrels). Fleas which live on the rodents can sometimes pass the bacteria to human beings, who then suffer from the bubonic form of plague. The pneumonic form of the disease would be seen as the primary form after purposeful ae ...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Plague CDC What is plague? Plague is a disease caused by Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis), a bacterium found in rodents and their fleas in many areas around the world. Why are we concerned about pneumonic plague as a bioweapon? Yersinia pestis used in an aerosol attack could cause cases of the pneumonic form of plague. One to six days after becoming infected with the bacteria, people would develop pneumonic plague. Once people have the disease, the bacteria ...

Plague Training Module September 7, 2004 CDC Bioterrorism Threat Many biological agents could be used to intentionally harm people. However, only a few, such as Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, have the ability to cause large numbers of cases of severe or fatal illness. This health impact and resulting disruption requires special actions for medical and public health preparedness. Concern about the use of plague as a weapon isn't just hypothetical. It has been considered ...

Plague: essential data Safety Precautions for Plague Casualties Standard Precautions as defined by the 1996 CDC guidelines should be adopted for handling patients. In cases of pneumonic plague, droplet precautions should also be adopted. Flea control should be practiced. Biosafety level 2/3 practices should be adopted for handling of samples. Key Diagnostic Tests. The most obvious physical finding for bubonic plague is the presence of buboes, pathologically inflamed lymph nodes, in t ...