Bubonic plague

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Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

[edit] Pathology and transmission

Bubonic plague is an infection of the lymphatic system, which can affect the heart, usually resulting from the bite of an infected flea. It uses rodents as its reservoirs. The bacteria rapidly spread to the lymph nodes and multiply. Yersinia pestis can resist phagocytosis and even reproduce inside phagocytes and kill them. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes can hemorrhage and become necrotic. Bubonic plague can progress to lethal septicemic plague in some cases. In rare cases, it can be spread by human contact.